National Allotment week was started over 15 years ago as a way of raising the awareness of allotments and the role they play in healthier living, growing your own food and the way that they can really bring together communities. Whether you have an allotment, a small veg patch in your garden or even space for a pot, you can still grow your own veg, fruit or herbs. Read on for a guide on how to grow a potato crop that’s ready in time for Christmas!
There is nothing more satisfying than growing and eating your own potatoes, especially at Christmas time. Christmas harvest seed potatoes should be planted from late July until early September and can be dug up when the foliage dies back in November/December. If you are tight on space, your best bet will be to grow them in special potato planting bags or in a container.
Start by filling your bag/container with 3” or so of good quality multipurpose compost such as ‘Growise’.
Gently push the seed potatoes into the compost to a depth of around 1” and add another 3” of compost on top of them. Water well and never let the compost dry out.
Once the shoots are 2-3inches tall, water the compost again and add another 3” of your growing medium on top. Repeat this process until you reach the top of the bag. This process is referred to as ‘building up’.
Top tip – work some organic potato and vegetable fertiliser into your compost before adding it to your bag/container for bigger and healthier potatoes. We recommend Vitax potato and veg fertiliser.
The aim is to keep the compost moist at all times, without the mixture becoming waterlogged. Over-watering will result in the leaves yellowing, so at this point you should stop watering until the leaves turn green again.
Varieties available in store now include;
All of which are £2.99 for 9 seed potatoes.
It really is that simple, so why not give it a go? Visit Burston Garden Centre today to learn more.
