This both adds nutrients and organic matter into the soil and, by applying early, means a lot of the excess nitrogen in fresh manure will have dematerialized before the potatoes are planted. This can help prevent a common potato growing problem caused by giving the plants too much nitrogen. An overabundance of nitrogen can promote lush foliage and see plants put all their energy into developing leaves rather than bulking tubers. To improve the soil conditions, sow green manure in autumn before planting potatoes the following year. Legumes, such as peas ( Pisum), clover ( Trifolium) and vetches ( Vicia), are particularly suitable as green manure. They use their roots to draw nutrients (especially nitrogen) up from deeper soil layers while also loosening the soil. As these plants are not frost-hardy, they die over the winter and can be worked into the soil in spring. Because potatoes have high nutrient requirements, it is recommended that they are grown on a at least four-year rotation plan to give the soil plenty of time to replenish nutrients between cultivations. So there are potato options to suit every taste – far more diversity than you can buy in the supermarket, which is one of the main advantages of growing your own. Potato varieties are classed as earlies or maincrops: With earlies, wait until the flowers open or the buds drop. The tubers should be the size of hens’ eggs. With maincrops, start lifting them in late summer for immediate use. You can leave them in the ground until needed, and they will keep growing larger, but the longer they’re in the soil, the more likely they are to get damaged by slugs.

To plant, dig a trench 15cm (6in) deep, place the seed potatoes along the base with the sprouts upwards, then cover with at least 2.5cm (1in) of soil and water well. Alternatively, you can dig individual holes for each tuber. How much potato fertiliser you need to add before planting and during the growing period will depend on the quantity already in the soil as well as the variety grown. To accurately know the nutrient level in the soil, you need a soil test kit which I think is a good investment for any serious grower but most do not have.Granular fertilizers are lower in price in large quantities and convenient to store because there is no additional interference in the blending product.

Choosing the type of fertiliser for growing your potatoes is a matter of personal preference. There are many different ways you can help your potatoes grow, you can choose the organic route or standard chemical fertiliser.Adding compound fertilizers in conjunction with coffee grounds can result in an effective harvest. So whatever soil’s downsides are, they can be resolved by selecting the best fertilizer for potatoes. Just as food is important for human growth, fertilizers are an essential source of nutrients for your potatoes.

The basic composition of an organic fertilizer contains a few important nutrients for potato expansion, as well as materials derived from organic plants and animals. Handle seed potatoes gently, taking care not to damage the shoots, especially when covering them with soil.Expert gardeners advise the use of good quality fertilizers to avoid such circumstances and guarantee a better crop. Most commercial chemical feeds specific for potatoes are balanced as 2:2:3, that is equal amounts of nitrogen and phosphorus with half as much again of potash or 3:5:5. The nitrogen and phosphorus will feed the haulm (foliage) and root system with the potash feeding the tubers themselves. Formulated to promote sustained growth of potato tubers, it will also boost growth and yield of other root crops. Contains nitrogen, 2.5% phosphorus and 8% potash.