How to Grow Seed Potatoes

Like any fruit and vegetables, growing your own seed potatoes is both fun and exciting and most definitely rewarding.  Not only this; it is also easy and simple to do and is a great start to growing your way to 5 a day!

Step 1: Choosing
There are many Varieties of seed potatoes out there so you have to choose the right one for you and for the right time of year. Seed potatoes are divided into the 4 following categories regarding their harvest and sowing time:

Step 2: Chitting
For the most successful results, it is best to allow your seed potatoes to ‘chit’ (sprout) before planting them into the ground. Chitting allows your seed potatoes to grow stronger sprouts and once planted into will encourage them to grow faster and will be an all-round more successful crop.

What to do:

• Chitting should be carried out during February and March.
• You place the seed potatoes in a tray; an egg box is ideal as they hold the potatoes still, so they are not rolling around. Ensure any shoots that are there are facing upwards
• The tray needs to be kept in the light and kept away from frost as well as hot rooms such as the spare room, garage or shed.
• You then leave them in the tray for approximately six weeks.
• Once the sprouts have reached a length of about 1.5 – 2.5cm (0.5- 1in) long they are ready to be planted into the ground.

Step 3: Planting and Aftercare
Seed potatoes can be planted straight into the ground, pots or planters or grow bags if you are limited for space. The Haxnicks potato patio planters are an ideal container for growing seed potatoes if you cannot plant them directly into the ground. Planting seed potatoes into the ground, differs to those planted into a grow bag or patio tub.

In the ground:

• Choose the correct area in your garden; a sunny area and avoid any frost pockets
• Dig your chosen area to break up the soil removing any lumps.
• Dig a trench 15cm deep and 15cm wide, length is determined by you and how many seed potatoes you have. Seed potatoes need to be positioned 30cm apart and if you need to dig more than one trench they need to be 60cm apart from one another.
• Place the seed potatoes into the trench with their shoots facing upwards 30cm apart.
• Cover over the trenches with excess soil
• Once the first shoots appear in a few weeks’ time cover them over with a fresh layer of soil.
• When the shoots surface again, wait until they are 5cm tall and then cover over again with soil to block out any light, this process is called ‘earthing up’.
• Repeat this process twice.
• Ensure you water the soil especially when there is foliage formed.

In a grow bag or container:

• Fill either the grow bag or container with 15cm of compost.
• Position 3 to 4 seed potatoes evenly on the surface of the compost with the shoots facing upwards
• Cover over the potatoes with excess soil, about another 10-15cm.
• Ensure you water the soil keeping it moist, but be careful not to completely saturate it.
• When the first shoots appear cover them over with new soil about 10cm deep to block out the light.
• Repeat this process twice.
• Ensure you water the soil especially when there is foliage formed.

Step 4: Harvesting
When the potato plant starts to flower, it is a good indication that your plants are ready to be harvested. The flowers usually appear about 12 weeks after they were planted. If you leave them for longer, the potato will be larger and the yield will be bigger, leaving them for longer is ideal for maincrop potatoes.

To harvest:

• From the ground carefully dig them up using a fork from the side of the trench. If this is not done carefully you may bruise the potatoes.
• From a grow bag or container remove the whole potato plant.
• Wash the potatoes and store in a cool, dark and frost free place.