Growing Potatoes in a container is one of the easiest ways of getting into growing your own vegetables.

What does First Early, Second Early and Maincrop mean?

First Earlies

Plant: Mid March to Mid April.

Harvest: Mid June to Mid July.

These potatoes are the quickest growers they take 10-12 weeks (3 months) from planting to produce potatoes.

Harvest your potatoes when your plants have finished flowering. Your potatoes should be the approximate size of an egg but sometimes smaller.

Varieties include: Casablanca, Rocket, Swift, Lady Christl.

Second Earlies

Plant: Mid March to Mid April

Harvest: Mid July onwards

Second Early potatoes harvest 2 weeks after first Early potatoes.

Harvest your potatoes when your plants have finished flowering.

Varieties include: Charlotte, Vivaldi, International Kidney (or jersey royals).

Maincrop

Plant: Mid to late April

Harvest: August to September

Maincrop potatoes are usually the largest potatoes and therefore they take the longest – 4-5 months in total.

Harvest your potatoes when your plants have died back and the plant looks dead or the plant stem has bent over. Maincrop potatoes should be of a good size as they have been in the ground so long.

Varieties include: Desiree, Maris Piper.

It’s so easy to grow Potatoes, there’s just 3 steps.

Why not have a go?

You will need:

• Seed potatoes. Get them online or I got mine at the local garden centre. Priced at £2.49 for 10 tubers.
• A Large but not too deep container. A half a barrel size is perfect.
• Compost or compost and soil mix.

How to Start Growing Potatoes

1. Chit your Potatoes

Start in: February or Early March

Chitting means exposing your potato tubers to the light so they can grow shoots to get them started before they go in compost.

Put your potatoes in a cool light place, that is frost free, like an unheated greenhouse or a windowsill indoors, somewhere not too hot.

Ways of Chitting

1. Cardboard Egg box – The most popular way to Chit a potato is putting the potatoes with any eyes (dents) upwards in an egg box. The shoots will appear from the eyes of the potato.

2. Any shallow container or egg cups – Any container that you can sit the potato tubers upright in like a tray, box, even egg cups.

3. If you haven’t got time to chit, don’t worry, you can still put them straight into the compost in March or April (depending on type) and they will just grow a bit slower.

2. Prepare your pot and compost

Start in: Late February

• Make sure your container has drainage holes so the water can escape and add some stones to the bottom of the pot.
• Add compost or compost and soil mix if you haven’t got enough compost.
• Important !! Only fill the pot A THIRD of the way up the side.

3. Add your Potato Tubers

Start in:

• March for First Earlies or Second Early potatoes,
• April for Maincrop potatoes.

Place approx 4 – 5 preferably chitted potato tubers into a star shape on top of your compost so they are evenly spaced.

Please note: Don’t overcrowd your pot with potatoes as you won’t get anymore potatoes by putting more tubers in. Potatoes need room to grow.

Cover the potatoes with compost, so you can’t see them anymore.

Water and leave to grow.

Yes, it’s really that easy!

Potato Plant Aftercare

Start in: March or April (depending on type).

When the potato shoots and leaves start growing through the soil, add more compost to cover them over.

Keep covering the potatoes until you reach the top of the pot.

Water well in dry periods. As the water helps the potatoes to swell and grow.

Are Potato Plants Poisonous?

Yes, Potatoes belong to the Nightshade Family, also in this family are tomatoes, aubergines or eggplants, peppers.

☠️ Did you know?

Potato plants, leaves, flowers and the little balls they sometimes produce are poisonous to humans, dogs and cats if they eat them.

Symptoms of the Nightshade family poisoning (including potato plants) are: nausea, headaches, vomiting and diarrhoea. So never eat any part of a Potato plant except the potatoes they form.

If any of your potatoes have a green shade to them, don’t eat them either.

Top Tips for Harvesting Potatoes

• When your potato plants have stopped flowering or have died back, cut the stem off and put it in the bin.
• Then ONLY harvest the potatoes that you are going to use straight away. The potatoes will stay ok in the soil for at least 6 months.
• Use your hands to find the potatoes in the soil, DON’T use anything sharp like a hand fork otherwise you may pierce your potatoes.
• Store your potatoes in a potato bag or in the dark so they don’t sprout again.

Other Vegetables to Sow in February

Grow Guide for Broad Beans – variety comparison and free checklist.

The longest growing vegetables to start sowing in February