LUCY CHAMBERLAIN’S FRUIT AND VEG
Plant out sweetcorn, lift new potatoes, boost pepper crops
I KNOW those of you with the luxury of a greenhouse may be well ahead of the rest of us – you’ve probably tucked into a bowl of buttery new potatoes a month ago. Luckily, outdoor-grown spuds will now be catching up, especially if you grew quick-to-mature first early varieties such as ‘Rocket’, ‘Foremost’ and ‘Swift’.
Gardeners are meant to have patience, but the anticipation of those meltin-the-mouth tubers tests many of us! People often ask me how you know when the potatoes are ready to harvest. Flowering can be an indicator that tubers are forming, but there’s variation between varieties so that method isn’t cut and dry. By far the best way to tell is to gently fork around the roots of one plant to see what you can unearth. If the tubers are of a size to your liking, you’ve got the green light to dig. Only lift as many as you’re going to eat that day, because super-fresh tubers have the best flavour. To lift potatoes from the earth, slide your fork prongs vertically alongside the plant at least 30cm (1ft) away from the stems, and then gently lever them out of the soil, pulling on the stems as you go. This ensures you don’t stab any tubers.
If your plants are in pots you can use a hand fork to unearth the potatoes. If you’re gentle, reburying the roots and giving them a water in after harvest will allow the plant to grow on for a second, smaller lifting of tubers.