My seed potatoes arrived in the post this week so I’ve had to crack on and get them sorted. They need chitting, which is basically starting them in to growth early, before you plant them.

This is especially important for what are called First Earlies (the first to crop in the garden) and the frost-free greenhouse is the best place to do this.

Seed potatoes need plenty of light to sprout, so they need unpacking when you first get them and spreading out on an even surface, with space between them.
I like to use egg boxes or egg trays to do this as it keeps each potato separate.
I can write on the box, what variety they are and I can move them around in the greenhouse if space gets tight.

I’ve got four packs of Unwins Have A Grow Potatoes. These are a great place to start, as there are about ten tubers in a pack.

They crop in succession and include two new varieties, Gemson, a new improved version of the Maris Peer potato and Marylin a salad potato.
I’m not sure I’ve got room to grow them all, so I will probably share them with a couple of gardening friends and then we can compare our harvests.
That’s another thing that I love about gardening, the swapping of produce, plants and ideas.

I may grow some in planters this year and I think I will keep one planter in the greenhouse for some really early new potatoes. Just the thought of them is making me hungry.

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