Easy Way to Plant Potatoes

I am very lazy when it comes to planting potatoes and not a fan of the traditional method of digging trenches, it just doesn’t appeal to me. For many years I have planted potatoes without any real digging, using just a long-handled dibber or hand trowel to make small planting holes. I grow vegetables in raised beds and my soil is light and movable without much effort, which makes planting potatoes even easier!

This is how I plant seed potatoes:

• The first thing I do is arrange my seed potatoes on the soil prior to planting to mark their planting position, I tend to squeeze salad varieties such as Charlotte quite close together but increase planting distance for maincrop varieties.

• At this point the potatoes could simply be covered over with a thick mulch such as compost, hay/straw or grass clippings, but another way is to make small planting holes approximately 12cm (5in) deep using a dibber or hand trowel and place each potato in the holes with eyes (shoots) facing up. Fill in the holes and continue until all the potatoes are planted and covered over.

• As the potatoes grow keep adding compost to protect foliage from frost damage and prevent the developing tubers from turning green and poisonous from exposure to light. Grass clippings, used duck bedding or hay/straw could be used instead of compost.

If you don’t have an allotment or garden then consider planting potatoes in containers or special grow bags, they will provide a crop if kept well watered during hot weather.