Location Ideally you want to locate your potato patch in area that receives plenty of sun.
In soil that is well drained and that has not had potatoes or close relatives like tomatoes growing in it for at least three years.
Seed potatoes Choose seed potatoes from certified virus free stocks.
You can at a push use potatoes that have sprouted from your pantry but you won't get such good results.
Sprouting A couple of weeks before you plan to plant out the tubers.
Find a nice sunny area in your house (must be frost free) to let the tubers sprout.
I place mine in egg boxes on the window sill with the eyes uppermost.
Once there is about an inch of growth the potatoes are ready to plant.
Aim to plant out in mid-spring.
Preparation The planting area is first of all covered with overlapping layers of newspaper full thickness.
The newspaper can be placed directly over weeds.
Onto the newspaper you lay out your tubers about 1 foot apart.
Mulching Over the potatoes you need to place about 1 foot of mulch.
This can consist of hay, straw, leaves, paper shreds and grass clippings.
A mixture of these will work.
As the potatoes grow they need to be covered over with more mulch.
It is vital that the tubers are not allowed to be exposed to the sun as this produces a green tuber which is poisonous if eaten in quantity.
You may need to water the patch if the mulch is very dry.
Harvesting Using this method there is no need to dig up the tubers at harvest time.
To begin with you might want to pull back some of the mulch and selectively pick out new potatoes.
The main crop can be harvested once the top growth starts to turn yellow.
To harvest drag away the mulch and the clean tubers should still be sitting on top of the newspaper layer ready to be picked up by hand.
If you want to keep the tubers allow them to dry out for 24 hours in the sun then they are ready to be stored.
This method of growing potatoes produces delicious clean potatoes that can be incorporated into your family's mealtimes.
In soil that is well drained and that has not had potatoes or close relatives like tomatoes growing in it for at least three years.
Seed potatoes Choose seed potatoes from certified virus free stocks.
You can at a push use potatoes that have sprouted from your pantry but you won't get such good results.
Sprouting A couple of weeks before you plan to plant out the tubers.
Find a nice sunny area in your house (must be frost free) to let the tubers sprout.
I place mine in egg boxes on the window sill with the eyes uppermost.
Once there is about an inch of growth the potatoes are ready to plant.
Aim to plant out in mid-spring.
Preparation The planting area is first of all covered with overlapping layers of newspaper full thickness.
The newspaper can be placed directly over weeds.
Onto the newspaper you lay out your tubers about 1 foot apart.
Mulching Over the potatoes you need to place about 1 foot of mulch.
This can consist of hay, straw, leaves, paper shreds and grass clippings.
A mixture of these will work.
As the potatoes grow they need to be covered over with more mulch.
It is vital that the tubers are not allowed to be exposed to the sun as this produces a green tuber which is poisonous if eaten in quantity.
You may need to water the patch if the mulch is very dry.
Harvesting Using this method there is no need to dig up the tubers at harvest time.
To begin with you might want to pull back some of the mulch and selectively pick out new potatoes.
The main crop can be harvested once the top growth starts to turn yellow.
To harvest drag away the mulch and the clean tubers should still be sitting on top of the newspaper layer ready to be picked up by hand.
If you want to keep the tubers allow them to dry out for 24 hours in the sun then they are ready to be stored.
This method of growing potatoes produces delicious clean potatoes that can be incorporated into your family's mealtimes.
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