Plant your maincrop spuds now
WHETHER you use pots, bags or good old Mother Earth, there aren’t many gardeners who don’t plant at least a few potatoes each spring. Delicious ‘newpotato’ first earlies should already be buried deep, and now it’s time to bring in the heavyweights to join them.
Excellent for chips, jackets, mashed and roast, maincrop potatoes stay in the ground until September, when they are then lifted and stored for use from autumn to spring. ‘King Edward’, ‘Desiree’ and ‘Maris Piper’ are just three excellent types – and there are many more to choose from. If you are planting in containers, set one tuber 5in (12cm) deep in an eight-litre pot or bag. When planting in beds, set tubers 1ft (30cm) apart in rows 2ft (60cm) apart. Bury them 5in (12cm) deep and mound the soil over the row once planted.
“Time to bring in the heavyweights!”