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[name] => Seed Potatoes
[blogtitle] => Interested in growing potatoes?
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[post_date] => 2018-04-19 16:17:24
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[post_content] => Ok, I'm quite excited about this...I'm growing no-dig potatoes! What does this mean? Basically, that I'm not digging over the soil before planting my seed potatoes. The reasons for growing them like this are as follows:
a) to avoid digging over soil before planting in order to leave the soil structure intact and not to stir up new weed seeds
b) so that when I harvest them in late summer I will be far less likely to leave tubers underground (because the potatoes form in the loose soil at the surface and can be simply pulled up). This means I will be less likely to find "volunteer" potatoes that have regrown the following season.
c) so that I don't need to dig them up with a fork and will therefore be less likely to damage my precious potatoes when I harvest them. Instead I can, hopefully, just pull them up from the stalk and use my hands to unearth all the potatoes.
Here's how I'm going about it:
I have had a veg bed covered with weed membrane for several months (since October/November). I had topped it up with a thin layer of well-rotted manure and used chicken bedding before covering it to add nutrients etc back into the soil. To plant my seed potatoes I simply uncovered the bed and raked it over to loosen up the very top layer of soil. Then, I placed each seed potato on top of the soil, leaving 45cm between them, 70cm between rows.
Finally, I covered them with soil that I was relocating from another part of the garden - I am
doing a spot of manual terracing and had plenty of loose soil to move so this killed two birds
with one stone (everything I have read implies you should cover the potatoes with good quality compost or even straw but I think my method is just as good and will still have the same kind of results, although maybe a few extra weeds to contend with)
Let's see how they get on...I will report back at harvest time later in the summer!
[post_title] => A No-Dig Potatoes Experiment
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[post_modified] => 2025-03-25 13:45:49
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[post_date] => 2025-03-27 10:40:29
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[post_content] => Seed potatoes are one of the earliest things to go in the ground in spring, and make a lovely excuse to get out in the garden around Easter time as they are traditionally planted on Good Friday, although they can be planted out anytime from March to June really.
You can happily grow in large containers or in the ground. They are incredibly easy to grow, and as a novice potato grower, the only thing you need to get your head around is the concept of “earthing up” (explained below). Here's a quick guide for those that are new to growing potatoes.
If growing in the ground:
Prepare a plot for your spuds - Choose a nice, sunny site that has well draining soil. Weed the plot well, and dig over with a garden fork to loosen the soil and break up lumps. It is worth adding some fresh compost before planting. Once it is dug over, if you're not going to be planting immediately, cover the bed with black polythene to help warm the soil a little until you're ready to plant.
Dig a trench that is approx 20cm deep. If you are going to be planting in two rows, leave 60-70cm between the rows. Put the seed potatoes in the trench at 40cm intervals. This is to give them plenty of space for their roots and tubers - it will help prevent blight as well as giving you a bigger crop.
Cover the seed potatoes well with soil, bringing extra soil up around them so that you have a little ridge running along the length of the rows. Water them in if the soil is dry.
When you see the first foliage peeping up over the soil, earth up your potatoes by covering the leaves with more soil, thus building up the ridge. Repeat this a couple more times over the following weeks until the ridge is about 20-30cm high. Doing this prevents sunlight from reaching the potatoes under the ground, and also gives you a better crop.
If growing in containers:
If growing in planters/containers, make sure they are wide and deep. Big buckets, stacks of tyres or old wheelbarrows work really well, as long as you make sure there are drainage holes at the base.
Fill the container half full with compost, then pop the seed potatoes on top and cover with 10cm compost.
You can easily plant 5-6 seed potatoes into a large container.
When you see the first foliage peeping up over the soil, earth up your potatoes by adding an extra layer of compost until the leaves are hidden. Repeat this several times over the following weeks until the pot is full.
Looking after the crop:
Keep them weed free
Water well during dry spells
Protect against slugs by using beer traps
Watch out for blight - (if you see brown patches on foliage, this is the first sign - see our separate post below)
When to harvest:
Harvest time depends on the type of potato you are growing – if you’re planting in April, then earlies and new potatoes are usually ready to harvest by late June/July when they are flowering, whilst main crop varieties will need a few extra weeks and can be harvested in August/September when the foliage starts to die back.
[post_title] => A quick guide to planting & growing potatoes
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[post_date] => 2025-02-05 11:40:36
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[post_content] => Chitting your seed potatoes will encourage lots of shoots to appear before you plant them which in turn will lead to a bigger crop. It's very easy to do and is best done about 6-8 weeks before you want to plant them, so early February to mid March is ideal:
Put the seed potatoes into an opened egg box, one in each space with any small shoots (or knobbly bits that look like they might soon become shoots) that you can see pointing upwards.
Place the egg box with the seed potatoes in a light, cool place for a little while. A windowsill will do the trick.
In a few weeks the shoots will have grown quite a lot and your potato will look a bit alien.
When the weather warms up a bit you can plant them out ready to dig up loads of potatoes a few weeks later.
Ok, I’m quite excited about this…I’m growing no-dig potatoes! What does this mean? Basically, that I’m not digging over the soil before planting my seed potatoes. The reasons for growing...
Chitting your seed potatoes will encourage lots of shoots to appear before you plant them which in turn will lead to a bigger crop. It’s very easy to do and...
Thanks for yet another excellent newsletter – always a welcome visitor to an often tiresome inbox!
J. D.
“”
I think it (plant catalogue) is positively inspiring, the writing, the drawings, the design and the recipes are all absolutely spot on – well done to the whole team!
H.G
“”
The plants arrived in excellent condition packaged with care in good condition. Very happy with everything. Thank you.
I have had a veg bed covered with weed membrane for several months (since October/November). I had topped it up with a thin layer of well-rotted manure and used chicken bedding before covering it to add nutrients etc back into the soil. To plant my seed potatoes I simply uncovered the bed and raked it over to loosen up the very top layer of soil. Then, I placed each seed potato on top of the soil, leaving 45cm between them, 70cm between rows.
Finally, I covered them with soil that I was relocating from another part of the garden - I am
doing a spot of manual terracing and had plenty of loose soil to move so this killed two birds
with one stone (everything I have read implies you should cover the potatoes with good quality compost or even straw but I think my method is just as good and will still have the same kind of results, although maybe a few extra weeds to contend with)
Let's see how they get on...I will report back at harvest time later in the summer!
[post_title] => A No-Dig Potatoes Experiment
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[post_date] => 2025-03-27 10:40:29
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[post_content] => Seed potatoes are one of the earliest things to go in the ground in spring, and make a lovely excuse to get out in the garden around Easter time as they are traditionally planted on Good Friday, although they can be planted out anytime from March to June really.
You can happily grow in large containers or in the ground. They are incredibly easy to grow, and as a novice potato grower, the only thing you need to get your head around is the concept of “earthing up” (explained below). Here's a quick guide for those that are new to growing potatoes.
