Christmas Potatoes
Order your Christmas potatoes now. They will be dispatched to you directly from Scotland, Mid July. Please plant the potatoes on receipt.
Varieties available : Carlingford, Charlotte, ORGANIC Charlotte and Pixie
For a full description of the varieties go to the Potatoes / Summer Planting Potatoes
How to plant Christmas Potatoes
Also called “Second-Cropping”, these are seed potatoes that have been held in specialised cool storage since they were harvested. They are normally dispatched during late June / July, when they should be planted immediately. By following our Harvest Hints, a crop of fresh potatoes can be harvested much later than normal, and in time for Christmas dinner, if you wish.
If planting in containers, ideally the pot should be at least 30-45cm (12-18in) deep and nearly the same again wide. Container must have good drainage and be portable to a frost free area as weather turns colder.
Fill container to about a 1/3 full with a loam-based compost and plant no more than three tubers evenly in a container, then cover with 15cm (6in) of compost. Earth up as you would with standard potatoes until the pot is full. Remember to protect from frost, keep well watered and feed with a general purpose liquid fertiliser.
Harvest Hints
As these have been planted in June/July, they will not mature properly until at least October. Allow the foliage to die back during the autumn and then make sure they are well protected from frost, by covering with straw, or fleece, or if planted in containers, by moving the container into a cool, frost free area. The crop can then be harvested in time for Christmas and will look and taste like newly harvested First Earlies.
