Patio Potato Pack

Note: Your seed potatoes will need chitting prior to planting. On receipt, stand them in an egg box in a cool, light room so they can begin chitting (shooting). Leave for 3-4 weeks, and short dark shoots (chits) will emerge. Take care not to damage these when handling or planting.

Keep your potatoes well watered as they grow - dry conditions will result in a considerably reduced crop.

• Start with a little compost in the base of your container, about 6-7in (15-17cm). Place the tubers onto the compost and half fill the pot. Keep some horticultural fleece handy, should cold nights threaten.
• The green shoots will eventually poke up through the compost, and when they do, cover them with another layer of compost, water and feed. Keep on adding as the plants grow until you reach the top of the pot or bag.
  First and second earlies will grow quicker than maincrop potatoes which are in the pots for longer, so require more regular watering.
• In the ground, first earlies will take around 14 weeks to mature, second earlies around 16 weeks, but in warm containers you can knock a couple of weeks off that, particularly if you like to eat them small and tender.
• New potatoes are at their best eaten immediately, so pull out only what you want for one meal, leaving the rest to grow on.