Get a bigger harvest
For a small growing space, choose earlies rather than maincrops. These are ready to harvest by July so you should avoid blight, which usually strikes in mid-summer. Always buy certified seed potatoes – don’t plant potatoes you’ve bought from the supermark
Give your crop a good start by chitting your potatoes before you plant. Place seed potatoes in trays in a light spot, with the rose end (the one with the most eyes) upwards. Once the shoots sprout, rub off the weakest, leaving just 3 or 4 strong shoots and plant them when the shoots are firm and 2-3cm long.
In deep containers place seed potatoes on a 10cm layer of compost, cover with compost, then gradually add more compost as the plants grow – eventually filling the container. In shallow containers, place seed potatoes on a layer of compost and fill the container to just below the brim straight away.
Make drainage holes in waterproof containers.
Add nutrients to the compost or soil before planting, with a sprinkling of potato fertiliser or bonemeal.
Choose a sunny spot, in the ground or for containers.
In the ground dig a 15cm deep trench, scatter compost along the base and place seed potatoes in the base with the sprouts facing upwards. Fill in the trench with soil. As the plants grow, pull soil up around the plants, covering the lower section of stems.
Protect new, young foliage with straw, fleece or cloches if late frosts are forecast. Frosted shoots will recover but the harvest will be late and reduced.
Don’t let potatoes dry out; keep the compost moist, but not saturated, especially when the tubers are developing in early summer. Check the bags, particularly the smaller ones, every day in hot, dry weather. Consistent watering will help to encourage lots of tubers and prevent common scab and second growth, which is when potatoes stop growing in dry conditions and then start again after watering, causing hollow, split tubers.
Give plants a highpotash liquid feed (such as tomato fertiliser) every couple of weeks during early summer to help increase yields.
Harvest early potatoes from June through July, when the flowers have opened. Depending on the size of the container, either feel around inside the bag with your fingers for your crop, or tip the bag out. Use a fork to gently harvest potatoes in the ground or a raised bed, taking care not to spike the tubers.