Have you ever wondered why you can go in a shop and buy lovely potatoes and onions throughout a long and very cold winter that have been grown right here in the UK? Actually, it’s all in how they are grown, harvested and stored that makes a difference. You, too, can grow your own potatoes and onions with just a few tips so that you know when and how to plant them and, of course, when and how to harvest and store.
It isn’t as difficult as it may seem, but you will need to be aware of a few well-placed bits of advice from farming experts such as Carpenter’s Nursery and Farm Shop who make it their mission to provide the best products and information specific to UK growers.
Choosing and Planting Your Seed Potatoes
The first thing you need to know about growing potatoes is in how to choose your seed potatoes to ensure you have virus-free, certified seed and that you’ve prepared your soil approximately two weeks prior to planting. Of course, you also need to have previously placed your ‘seeds’ in trays that are well ventilated with the eyes facing upwards and outwards.
Allow them to grow to at least ½” to 1” in length, or if you prefer metric, 12 to 25 mm. This will take a few weeks, but when they have grown to a good length, you can now plant them in soil that was properly prepared and ready to accept your crop.
How Long Before You Can Harvest?
This is a question most asked by those who are planting potatoes for the first time. There are actually various times you can harvest and the exciting thing to learn here is that you don’t need to harvest the entire crop at the very same time! You can scrape off a bit of soil to expose the upper potatoes and once they have grown about the size of an egg, you can safely harvest a few new potatoes.
This is approximately 12 weeks, or a bit longer, into the growing season. The rest of the crop will take 6 to 8 weeks longer and at that point you will need to learn how to ‘lift’ them from the soil so that you don’t damage the tubers.
Growing Onions at Home
Like potatoes, onions should be planted sometime between mid-March through mid-April but unlike potatoes, you need to be very careful not to have manured the ground too close to planting. While potatoes can go into ground which has been manured two weeks prior to planting, soil prepared for onions should be prepared a good bit earlier than that as freshly manured soil can easily lead to rot and you surely don’t want that!
A Few Closing Words
While potatoes are technically tubers and onions are a root variety plant like garlic and shallots, both will have the main ‘edible’ under the soil. What you have just read through is but a brief idea of just how easy it can be to grow your own potatoes and onions and since both are planted and harvested at about the same times of year, it helps to learn how to do both as it saves you unnecessary steps when preparing and planting your garden.
Both can be stored over a long winter and both are hardy if you start with certified seeds and bulbs. This year, why not plant your own potatoes and onions and enjoy home-grown, organic crops. It’s fun, easy and absolutely rewarding.
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Alex is a professional writer with a keen interest in gardening. He currently contributes written articles to various gardening websites such as Carpenters Nursery & Farm Shop.
FAQs
Potatoes always do best in full sun. They are aggressively rooting plants, and we find that they will produce the best crop when planted in a light, loose, well-drained soil. Potatoes prefer a slightly acid soil with a PH of 5.0 to 7.0.
How to plant potatoes and onions together? ›
Seed or transplant onions in rows alongside your potato crop, at least 18” from neighboring spuds.
What makes potatoes easy to grow? ›
The tubers are wildly productive in the well-draining, rock-free soil the beds provide, and the vines require deep watering only once each week. Of all the root vegetables I grow, it is the potatoes that give me the biggest thrill at harvest time.
How do you grow your own potatoes? ›
Planting potatoes is an easy and unique process compared to growing other vegetables.
- Buy seed potatoes. ...
- Start your seed potatoes. ...
- Cut your seed potatoes. ...
- Choose and prepare your potato bed. ...
- Plant your seed pieces. ...
- Maintain moisture. ...
- Periodically “hill” your potatoes. ...
- Keep your potatoes pest- and disease-free.
Place cut potatoes 10-12 inches apart in the trench. If larger potatoes are planted whole they will produce larger plants and should be given a little extra room, 12-16 inches. A spacing of 36 inches between rows in adequate but if you have the extra space, further spacing will make hilling easier.
What is the easiest potato to grow? ›
You'll find them classified as first earlies, second earlies, or maincrop, each referring to their planting and harvesting times. First earlies, like the Rocket or Swift varieties, are ideal for beginners due to their swift growth and early harvest.
What not to plant with onions? ›
While there are many plants you want to grow near onions, there are a few that should definitely be avoided. Onions should not be planted with peas, beans, asparagus, or sage. Onions can stunt the growth of these crops and also negatively affect their flavor.
Do potatoes and onions need full sun? ›
Onions and potatoes love full sun - at least 6 hours of sun per day. Both need to be planted in a rich, well draining soil with lots of organic matter. Garden beds or raised beds are both good options.
How to grow onions in the garden? ›
Planting Steps
Plant transplants or onion sets 1 to 1½ inches deep in rows 12 to 18 inches apart. Space transplants 4 inches apart within the rows. If direct seedling, sow seeds ½ to ¾ inches deep, with 8 to 12 seeds per foot of row. Thin emerging seedlings to 4 inches apart.
How hard is it to grow your own potatoes? ›
Growing potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) in your own backyard is healthy, inexpensive, and surprisingly easy. Plus, vegetable gardeners swear by the fresh flavor that only a homegrown crop can offer.
The best planting time is February. But I think of potatoes as having two seasons here — one is August into early September for a late fall or early winter harvest, and the other is February for a late spring harvest.
How deep to plant potatoes? ›
Sow seed potatoes, "eyes" (sprouts) up, two to three inches deep and about a foot apart. For traditional row plantings, keep rows three to four feet apart. Dig your planting furrow up to six inches deep, keeping extra soil from the furrow stacked alongside the planted row to use for hilling.
How many potatoes per plant? ›
How Many Potatoes Form Per Plant? You can expect at least five to six new potatoes for each potato you plant. If only every plant multiplied this way! There's something so magical about pulling up a potato plant and seeing so many new potatoes attached to the small one you planted months ago.
How much sun do potatoes need? ›
To bolster top growth, which will support the growth of the roots, plant potatoes in full sun. They can handle part shade, but it's the lush top growth that feeds the tubers underground. The more sun, the better—at least six to eight hours per day.
Is growing potatoes worth it? ›
If you love making potato recipes as much as we do, then growing your own potatoes is definitely worth it! Especially since it's so easy to do! You can grow them in any setting from a small urban back yard to a large country garden. You even can grow them in containers or bags on a balcony or small deck.
What not to do when growing potatoes? ›
Avoid planting potatoes in heavy clay, waterlogged soil. Don't let your potato beds dry out. Check the soil moisture at least once per week throughout the summer. Be sure to use drip irrigation or soaker hoses to water your potatoes during periods of drought.
What conditions grow the best potatoes? ›
Potatoes do best on fertile, well-drained loamy or sandy soils but can be grown on virtually any soil if high yields and smooth appearance are not essential. Soils with a high pH (alkaline) or extremely high organic matter cause severe scab problems in susceptible varieties, including most round whites and reds.
Is it better to grow potatoes in the ground or in bags? ›
Potatoes grown directly into the ground will provide a better yield by weight than those grown in containers.
Alex is a professional writer with a keen interest in gardening. He currently contributes written articles to various gardening websites such as Carpenters Nursery & Farm Shop.