In the garden: Potatoes

Plant some potatoes mid-late October for a home-grown Christmas potato salad.

Simple steps to a crop of potatoes

• Buy special seed potatoes from the garden centre for best results. Potatoes that have sprouted in your pantry will probably work too, but bought seed potatoes are guaranteed to be free of disease.
• Give your spuds lots of space. Plant them deep – at least 20cm down – and about 30cm apart.
• Cover with soil and add fertiliser – good-quality compost or special potato fertiliser from a garden centre.
• Mound the soil around the shoots as they appear above the ground.
• When the plants have flowered and the flowers have died back, your spuds are ready to dig up.
• Get the kids involved with harvesting your potatoes – it’s a fun treasure hunt.