If you have plenty of space then I would definitely recommend growing lots of potatoes. They are easy to grow, they store well and they are so versitile in the kitchen. If you are looking for something you can grow that will feed your family then potatoes are it!
If you don't have much space then you might want to grow a few potatoes for the fun of it. A good way to do that is in a container - an old dustbin or a specially designed potato growbag.
Whatever you do, you will need to buy some seed potatoes, although for a container you may only need 3 or so potatoes, depending on the size of the container.
There are hundreds of potato varieties so it can be difficult to know which ones to choose to grow. However, potatatoes can be divided into different groups depending on how you use them in the kitchen and also by how they grow.
If you enjoy boiled potatoes and/or salad potatoes then look for "waxy" varieties. These make lovely new potatoes. If you prefer roast, baked or chipped potatoes then you want to look for "good all rounders" or "floury" varieties. You can also choose unusual varieties such as red skinned, patchy coloured or purple potatoes.
Potatoes can also be divided into groups such as "first early", "second early" and "main group". This is to do with the way the potatoes grow and when they should be planted and harvested. First early potatoes should be planted in March and can be harvested in June. They make fantastic new potatoes and are usually harvested when still quite small. They don't store well so will need to be eaten within a few weeks.
Second early potatoes should be planted by the end of March or early April and they can be harvested from July. They are usually a bit bigger than new potatoes. Main crop potatoes should be planted by mid-April and can be harvested from August onwards. They will provide a variety of different sized potatoes but some can be big enough to make a decent baked potato. They are the best types of potatoes for storing over winter.
If you have lots of space, I would recommend getting some different varieties of potatoes that give a good mix of uses in the kitchen and can also be harvested throughout the summer.
If you only have a small space or you are growing in a container then I would suggest you go for a first early variety and aim to grow a few new potatoes, and enjoy their deliciousness!
Some people say, grow potatoes to clear the ground. It kind of implies that if you have a rough, weedy patch of ground then by growing potatoes in it, the soil will end up in better condition, free from weeds. This is certainly true, but it isn't the potatoes that magically clears the ground, it's you!
Firstly, you need to dig out the worse of the weeds and dig a trench to plant the potatoes in. Put in the potatoes, about 30-45 cm apart then cover back with soil. Once the plant starts to appear above the soil as it grows, it is recommened that you "earth them up" - that's to say, pile the soil up into mounds that almost completely buries the plants. You may need to do this more than once as the potatoes grow. It helps to increase the yield but if you don't manage it, it isn't a big deal.
Eventually the plants will flower - they can look very attractive, and then the flowers will finish. If they are first early potatoes, this is the time when you can consider digging them up to harvest them. If they are second earlies or main crop then leave them to grow on until eventually all the foliage dies back completely. This is perfectly natural and a good sign because it means your potatoes are ready to harvest.
To harvest potatoes, use a garden fork and start digging a little further away than where you think the potatoes might be. It is very easy to stab the fork right through the potatoes and it will inevitably be straight into the biggest and most perfect potato that you have grown! So, go carefully and gently lift up the potatoes and soil with the fork, then use your hands to pick them out. This is a fun activity to do with children and it is like finding edible treasure! If you are growing them in a container, then just tip it up and see what you have.
So, all fairly straightforward really. Potatoes absolutely want to grow and will put up with all kinds of poor gardening and rubbish soil. Obviously the better the conditions, the more fertile it is and the more consistently they are watered, the bigger and better your potato harvest will be.
However, slugs will damage potatoes and these are the tiny ones that live under the soil so you may not even realise anything untoward is happening until you harvest your potatoes. The best way to limit this damage is to plant varieties that say they are slug resistant. And the other major problem with potatoes is blight. This usually strikes during a warm, wet August so isn't a problem for first early potatoes or even second early. If it hits your main crop then the leaves and stems will turn black and sad looking and at this point it is best to remove the affected foliage and dispose of it somewhere other than your compost bin. Dig up the potatoes as soon as possible afterwards.
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