Get your potatoes early

One of the greatest pleasures of gardening is eating your first early potatoes. They are simply perfect on their own, steamed, with a bit of butter, sea salt and fresh ground black pepper. If you like you can sprinkle a bit of parsley over them. For a celebration you can have a bottle of Guinness to wash them down.

There is great competition among gardeners to see who gets the first earlies. To get the jump on other gardeners you really do have to start early and you do need some form of protection. I have grown my first earlies under low cloches, in a poly tunnel and now I use bags in the green house.

Early potatoes in bags

It is simple enough to do. Get your seed potatoes as early as possible - ideally December - and chit them (let little sprouts grow). Then place about 10 cm of  well rotted compost in the bottom of a sack, like the ones shown in the picture. Place three seed potatoes on top and cover with a further 10 cm of compost. If there is hard frost cover with fleece.

Once the shoots are about 15 cm tall add another 10 cm of compost. Repeat this until the bags are filled. If you think they need it you can give a liquid feed of worm liquid or comfrey tea. If your compost is good enough they won't need it.

You should be able to pick your first earlies - they will be pretty small towards the end of April. Simply work your hand down and feel around until you get a few. The bags will keep on cropping for several weeks and can be moved outside once the risk of frost has passed. I cover them with fleece when I put them out.