Potatoes will thrive if you follow Alan Titchmarsh’s advice
Potatoes will grow better if you follow Alan’s advice (Image: Getty Images/iStockphoto)
Potatoes are a staple vegetable many gardeners decide to grow at home. They can be served up in a range of dishes from chips to jackets, mashed and roasted.
While they are among some of the easiest vegetables you can grow, they still need specific care. Garden expert Alan Titchmarsh says the best care for growing potatoes comes with how you plant them.
He says potatoes should be planted in rows in your vegetable plot. Potatoes need to be planted once the crops have sprouted, which you can encourage by placing them in empty egg trays.
Place the tray of potatoes on a sunny windowsill to encourage the sprouts to grow. Once the sprouts have reached about half an inch, it is time to plant.
In his Gardening with Alan Titchmarsh TikTok video, Alan used a ball of string and two stakes to create a straight line across his vegetable plot.
Keep your potatoes spaced out(Image: Getty Images)
He then used this as a guide to plant his potatoes. Alan’s main piece of advice to help potatoes grow to their best is to “earth them” once the shoots have grown.
The expert explained: “As the shoots grow and come up above the ground, you earth them up. You pull soil around them for two reasons.
“Reason one is to protect the shoots which are coming up when the frosts are still around. The soil will protect the tender shoots from frost.
“But, it will also make sure that the potatoes are forming on the roots that come out of those spongy planting. The potatoes that are formed there will be kept in the dark.”
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The potatoes will thrive in the dark as it can help stop them turning green or diseased. But, make sure the potato shoot gets sun as the leaves need energy to produce the potatoes.
Once your potatoes are ready, ensure you store them away from damp and humid spaces. They can even last for months if you follow storage advice correctly.
Advice from Tesco said: “By following a few simple steps, you can keep your potatoes nearly as fresh as the day you bought them, for up to six months. Your spuds need air circulation, so don’t suffocate them in a plastic bag. They’re best kept in a mesh or paper bag.
“It’s also crucial that potatoes are stored away from other fresh produce, particularly onions, as they release ethylene gas.
“This means that your fruits and veggies will ripen one another too quickly, so your potatoes should be stored separately to stop this. Potatoes must be kept in a cool, dark place. Otherwise, light will cause them to photosynthesise and sprout.”
The supermarket suggested keeping potatoes below 10C in a porch cupboard or garden shed.
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