The soil covered with polythene 5 weeks ago is now dry and warm enough to plant early potatoes.
mark-out-potato-row
The bed is 1.8 meters wide. Two rows of potatoes will run down the length of the bed. To measure this out:
* place a stake in the center of the bed (0.9m from edge)
* the distance between the center of the rows is 70cm. So, place a stake 35cm from center stake. Repeat on the other side.
* at the other end of the bed, place 3 more stakes, as above
* tie the end of a ball of string on one of the outside stakes, and stretch the string to its opposite number at the other end of the bed. This marks the middle of the potato row.
* repeat, running the string along the center of the other row.
string-marks-center-of-pota
middle-of-row-marked-with-string
Use the rake to make a shallow trench down the middle of each row.
rake-pulls-soil-out
use-rake-to-move-soil
Lay a measuring tape in the middle of the row. Put the seed potatoes on the edge of the row, ready to put in at the correct spacing.
space-potatoes-out-using-tape
The small seed is put 20 cm apart, & the large seed is 25 cm apart. The seed is put this close because there are only 2 rows, & the outside edge of each row has a path running beside it. So there will be plenty of space, light & air. Also, these are early potatoes, which will be lifted as soon as they are the size of a hen’s egg. So they can be planted closer than main crops, which will be left to grow bigger potatoes.
Make a hole in the trench, by pulling the soil back with a trowel.
make-hole-with-fork
fork-pulls-soil-back
Take a potato and place it in the hole. The top of the potato should be about 8cm down, below the top of the level harrowed surface.
place-potato-in-hole
plant-potato-in-hole
chits-pointing-up
Plant the potato with the chits (little shoots) pointing upwards.
plant-potato-with-chits-upward
Sprinkle soil over the potato, so that it is just covered. Leave the trench, and it will act as protection, creating a warm, damp environment, which will encourage growth.
Cover the planted potatoes with polythene, to provide protection from the forecasted frosts.
A few potatoes were planted 3 weeks ago. One has just emerged, & is showing a tiny shoot
potato-shoot-emerges1
