Greenvale AP - Home-grown potatoes and planting tips

There’s nothing more satisfying than whipping up a meal using your own home grown vegetables. For those who are just starting out in gardening, experts from Greenvale AP say that potatoes are one of the simplest to grow and they also produce the largest yield per square foot of any vegetable crops. The texture and flavour will vary; however generally there are waxy, hard varieties which are sometimes called salad potatoes, and floury, softer varieties, which usually break apart slightly when cooked.

When it comes to planting potatoes tubers, it’s important to prepare the ground. A couple of days before you intend to plant, use a fork to work the soil on the plot, and incorporate a small amount of fertiliser on the top two inches. Greenvale AP (http://www.greenvale.medway.sch.uk) experts says that the tubers will need to be in rows, either in small, individual holes which you make using the trowel, or at the end of a trench in the shape of a ‘V’. Alternatively, if you find that the soil is quite light, you can save time by making a hole using a dibber, and simply dropping the potato in. You should aim to have the rows running from the north to the south, as this will help to ensure that the rays of the sun reach both of the ridges sides.

Although potatoes tend to grow well, it’s very common for them to suffer from a fungal disease called Phytophthora, otherwise known as potato blight. This affects the tubers and the tops of the potatoes. However, this disease doesn’t normally appear until mid July to early August, so it can be avoided by growing ‘new’ potatoes, rather than floury varieties. These new potatoes are usually harvest in the month of June. If you decide to opt for potatoes which are harvested later in the year, make sure keep an eye on your crop for signs of blight. The first symptom is a slight wilting of the foliage, and this is quickly followed by brown lesions. If you see this, Greenvale AP say to cut off the haulms (the foliage) and dispose of them, however do not add these cuttings to the compost heap, as this could result in infected soil once the compost is spread.