All about Growing Potatoes

Posted on 24/06/2020

Top Tips on Growing Potatoes in Your Garden

For any aspiring gardener, having a vegetable patch is one of the most common goals. Being able to grow your own veg is not only highly fulfilling, but it’s also a great way to reduce spend on groceries, and make sure you and your family eat healthily. But the next question is what to grow? In our opinion, potatoes are a great starter veg whether you are brand new to gardening, or a seasoned pro. Below we share our top tips on growing potatoes:

Decide how you’re going to grow your pots

If you’re new to gardening then you might be surprised to learn that there are actually a few ways to grow potatoes and the route you choose will ultimately depend on your own garden design layout and personal preferences. The obvious one is of course growing them actually in your garden somewhere, and if you’ve got plenty of space to hand within your landscape, then this is probably the option you’ll go for. But if you’re bit more restricted in space, and perhaps don’t have tons of lawn available, or just don’t want to uproot your beautifully landscaped garden, then grow bags are the most popular alternative. These will at the very least get your potatoes growing, giving you a feel for what it involves, and if you like it, you might then decide to upgrade your vegetables’ living space in the future. And if you don’t go in for lawn maintenance, but still want to be able to grow things, don’t forget about allotments – a handy alternative to having to get rid of your patio.

Choose your type

Just as there are there are several different ways to grow your potatoes, there are also a range of different options when it comes to what to grow. Again this decision will likely come down to the type of garden design you have, your time commitment and your personal level of gardening expertise as different types vary in how easy they are to grow. If you’re new to gardening then definitely opt for the most straightforward variety to start with. Then, as you grow in confidence, you can graduate to the more complex varieties, and even branch out into other types of vegetables to grow.

Pick your spot

While potatoes are relatively undemanding in terms of what they need to grow successfully, there are a few things to bear in mind. They thrive best in bright patches of the garden, and need plenty of moisture. The definitely don’t’ like the cold, so avoid any areas where they are likely to be exposed to extreme cold. If you are in a position where you have the freedom to do some landscape design before you start your vegetable patch, then take all these factors into consideration if you’re really keen to grow things. You may also benefit from seeking the advice of a professional gardening service that can help identify the best areas in your garden.

Keep an eye on them

Although potatoes are far less high maintenance than a lot of other vegetables, they do still need a bit of care and attention given to thrive. It won’t be as intensive work as if you were to do a complete landscaping project, but you at the very least need to keep an eye out for pests, and weather conditions to help them grow successfully. By keeping an eye on them regularly you should also be able to spot when they are ready to be harvested; that way you get to enjoy the benefits of all your hard gardening work.