I like to plant my potatoes (or at least make a start) on Good Friday, not just because of tradition but also as a reminder! The weather today was glorious, blue sky and warm sunshine. I love how a warm spring day wakes and stirs the garden and wildlife.
I love growing a salad variety of potato called Charlotte, the seed potatoes have been chitting away happily for weeks and today l planted them out. I had lots of time to do it thanks to the lovely weather so I decided to take photos and explain how I like to plant potatoes.
I position the seed potatoes on top of the soil leaving approximately 15 inches between each one and 18 inches (or so) between each row. Once I’m happy with the arrangement I make a planting hole (approximately 5 inches) for each potato and drop it in, eyes (shoots) up. I don’t dig the traditional potato trench, I prefer my trusty potato planting ‘tool’ instead. Actually, it’s the handle of a broken edging iron! I just push it into the soil and wiggle it around a bit to make the hole wider. Very technical. I’m sure a long dibber would do the job just as well.
Then I fill the planting holes in and make small mounds for each row, as a marker. You don’t have to mound the potatoes until the first leaves start to show, I just prefer to. Keep mounding or earthing up your potatoes as they grow to protect newly emerging foliage from frost damage and developing new potatoes from light. Light turns tubers green and green potatoes are poisonous.
So there we are, that’s how I plant my potatoes. Any left over seed potatoes are planted into large pots.
The lawn had its first cut of the year too, Rich did that.
Looking back towards the house the garden looked so neat and tidy, I love the scent of freshly cut grass.
How did you spend Good Friday?
Filed under: Grow Your Own Guides, Vegetable Garden Tagged: good friday, guide to planting potatoes, how do I plant potatoes, how to plant potatoes, plant potatoes, planting potatoes, potato planting
