The taste of homegrown new potatoes does not need to be restricted to summer. New potatoes are delicious for Christmas lunch with butter melting over them, or as potato salad for the Boxing Day buffet. With a little bit of effort and good timing you could be serving potatoes grown with your own hands for your Christmas dinner. Here’s how you can do that.
Unfortunately you can’t use the ones you dig up in June and July and replant a few for Christmas because they go into a period of dormancy after harvesting and won’t grow. It’s unlikely you could use supermarket potatoes either for the same reason.
You will need to buy cold stored tubers that have been held back from last winter. First and second earlies are ideal. They do not need to be chitted because they are going straight into warm soil.
Most take about 12 weeks from planting to cropping. So if you plant in July you could be ready to harvest from the end of October. For Christmas dinner, plant your potatoes in August, protect them from frost and you can be harvesting delicious new potatoes for the big day.
Potatoes can be left in the soil for a month after they are ready but keep them dry to prevent slugs from munching. Alternatively, lift and store in a paper sack or cardboard box in a dry, cool, dark place
If you have access to a polytunnel or greenhouse, plant straight into the ground. In sheltered gardens with well-drained soil use cloches or grow tunnels with fleece covers as the weather gets colder. Covering with straw will also help to insulate your potatoes until harvesting. If your soil is heavy and prone to be wet or you are in a cold spot, plant into a container so that the tub can be moved to a frost free greenhouse or bright porch.
Growing Potatoes in Containers
For container planting, a 30cm pot can hold one plant whereas a dustbin-sized container can hold four. Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom, then fill the bottom third with multipurpose compost. Place potatoes 20–30cm apart on the top and cover with about 15cm of compost. Water well and place in a bright spot.
When you see leaves showing, add another layer of compost and repeat until you reach the top of the container. Protect from frost. Once the foliage dies down, keep them fairly dry until harvesting.
Growing Potatoes in the Ground
Choose a warm, sunny spot and plant each tuber at least 30cm apart and at least 10cm deep. As the shoots grow, use a rake or hoe to draw more soil over the top to create a mounded ridge. This is known as earthing up.
Once the foliage has died down in the autumn, leave them protected from wet weather and frost until harvesting.
Autumn-grown potatoes grown outside can be prone to blight. Protection from a cloche or growing tunnel will help prevent that, while indoor-grown potatoes are rarely affected.
Our Recommended Potato Varieties
Charlotte
A very attractive long salad potato with an unbeatable creamy flavour straight from the garden to the pot! AGM.
Maris Peer
Popular second early potatoes with a very good flavour. Good as salad potatoes. Plants produce large clusters of pretty purple flowers.
Maris Piper
Probably the best known potato in Britain and one of the most versatile. The potatoes taste great as chips, mash, roasts or simply boiled. Stores well. AGM.
Pentland Javelin
A firm favourite which has creamy-white flesh that rarely discolours on cooking and is perfect for roasting and general kitchen use.
AGM = holds an RHS Award of Garden Merit.
Continue your Gardening Journey
Need a little extra advice? Visit your local Tates of Sussex Garden Centre today, where our friendly knowledgeable, team will be happy to help you choose the right plants and offer expert guidance.
