Order Your Spuds! Seed Potato Orders Are Now Being Taken in The Shed.

The moment we've all been waiting for is here! It’s time to plan for a truly delicious harvest, because The Shed is now taking orders for seed potatoes. This is your chance to get your hands on top-quality varieties, which will arrive in time for planting to ensure a fantastic potato crop this year. Growing your own spuds is incredibly rewarding, and there’s nothing quite like digging up your very own new potatoes.

This is your chance to get your hands on top-quality varieties, which will arrive in time for planting to ensure a fantastic potato crop this year.

To help you decide what to order, here’s a quick guide to the different types available:

First Earlies

These are the potatoes you plant for an early harvest of delicious new potatoes. They mature in about 10-12 weeks and are perfect for boiling, steaming, or making into potato salads. They don't store well, so they are best eaten fresh. Popular varieties include 'Rocket' and 'Sharpe's Express'.

Second Earlies

As the name suggests, these are planted after the first earlies and are ready to harvest a little later, typically in 13-15 weeks. They produce a bigger crop than first earlies and are great for a variety of uses in the kitchen. Look out for varieties like 'Charlotte' and 'Maris Peer'.

Maincrop

These are the workhorses of the potato world. Maincrop potatoes take the longest to mature, usually around 15-20 weeks, but they produce the largest yields and are ideal for long-term storage. They're perfect for baking, roasting, mashing, and making chips. Classic maincrop varieties include 'Desiree' and 'King Edward'.

Growing your own spuds is incredibly rewarding, and there’s nothing quite like digging up your very own new potatoes.

Getting Ready to Plant

Once you've placed your order and your potatoes arrive, you'll need to 'chit' them. This simply means encouraging the potatoes to sprout before planting, which can lead to a quicker, healthier crop. Just stand the seed potatoes in a tray or old egg carton in a cool, light, frost-free place. You'll soon see strong, green sprouts forming.

When it comes to planting, a sunny spot is essential. Prepare your soil by digging in some well-rotted compost. You can plant directly into the ground, but if space is limited, potatoes are excellent to grow in large buckets, old dustbins, or purpose-built potato bags and towers. Simply add a layer of soil, place your chitted potato, and cover with more soil. As the plant grows, keep adding more soil or compost around the stems until the container is full. This encourages a bigger crop and protects the developing potatoes from sunlight, which can turn them green and inedible.

So, head on down to The Shed to place your order. Let’s get ready for a fantastic potato harvest this year.