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Growing Potatoes

There are around 450 varieties of potato grown in the UK offering an extraordinary range of textures, colours and shapes. Whatever you want from your potato - we've got it.

Potatoes are grown from seed tubers, which must be free from viruses and other diseases. Whilst the crops are growing they need to be protected from pest and diseases, by the use of good farming practice. In dry years the crops also need irrigating. A harvesting machine does the job of lifting and separating the potato from the soil. Some potatoes will be sold immediately and others will be stored so they are available all year round.

There are 3 potato periods to look forward
to during the year:

• New Potatoes or Early Potatoes
• Second Earlies
• Maincrop

New Potatoes or Early Potatoes
New potatoes or early potatoes are planted from January - March and are in supermarket stores from May - July.

Second Earlies
Second earlies are planted between February and May and harvested from July - October.

Maincrop
Maincrop are planted between March and May and harvesting continues through September and October. Both second earlies and maincrop are available in supermarket stores and many farm shops throughout the year.

Here's a project for children to try growing their own potatoes:

What you need:

• 4 "pots" that can take 10 litres compost each - dustbins or buckets are great for this.
• Broken bits of  pot or pebbles - grown-up gardeners call these "crocks".
• Enough soil or compost to fill all the pots.
• 4 seed potatoes from a local garden centre or market.

1. Leave your potatoes in a warm, dry, light place to sprout.
2. Arrange your crocks in the bottom of the "pots" and half-fill them with the soil or compost.
3. Plant the potatoes with most of the shoots pointing upwards.
4. Cover them with a bit more soil.
5. Number the pots 1, 2, 3, 4 clearly.
6. Water Pot 1 and leave on a windowsill. Top scientists would call that one the "control" because it has everything it needs and we'll compare the others to it later.
7. Water Pot 2 then secure a polythene bag over it to keep out the air. Hmmm...
8. Water Pot 3 and put it in a lightproof box - and keep it in the dark. No mercy!
9. Don't even water Pot 4 but leave it in the light. Guess what's going to happen in all these experiments.

Observe your potato plants for 7 weeks, making sure you water each of them apart from plant 4. Get ready for some interesting surprises when you compare them. You can sketch or photograph your pots each week.

What conclusions have you discovered from your experiment?
Which potato plant grew well?
Which potato pot failed?
Write down your findings.