Potato
Solanum tuberosum
No kitchen garden is complete without potatoes. From waxy salad types to floury bakers, the variety available to the home grower vastly exceeds anything in the shops.
SowingDirect sow
Sunlight☀️ Full sun
Water💧💧 Moderate
Days to harvest70–120
Soil pH5–6.5
Spacing30cm × 70cm
Planting Calendar
Sow indoorsSow outdoorsTransplantHarvest
Jan
Feb
Mar
Apr
May
Jun
Jul
Aug
Sep
Oct
Nov
Dec
Chitting
Stand seed potatoes rose-end up in egg boxes in a light, frost-free room from late January/February. Allow short, stubby chits to develop before planting. This gives the crop a head start.Earthing Up
As shoots emerge, draw soil up around them to protect from frost and encourage tuber development. Repeat 2–3 times until a ridge 20–25cm high is formed. This also inhibits light reaching tubers (which turns them green and toxic).Blight Management
Potato blight (Phytophthora infestans) can devastate a crop in warm, wet weather. Grow blight-resistant varieties and apply Bordeaux mixture (copper sulphate) as a preventive spray.Soil: Deep, well-cultivated, slightly acid soil with plenty of organic matter