With multiple culinary uses, these Charlotte Potatoes are ideal for Sunday roasts or Christmas dinner and can be served boiled, roasted or alongside salad. With 9 tubers included per pack, these Charlotte Potatoes can be cultivated in compost, open soil, containers or potato bags and should ideally be planted in July or August. Suitable for harvesting during November, have a go at growing your own vegetables with these Autumn Planting Charlotte Potatoes.
How To Grow.
Second cropping potatoes do not require 'chitting' and should be planted as soon as they are received in August. When planting late potatoes in bags, When planting late potatoes in bags, fill an 8 litre potato bag to just below the top of the bag with good quality compost mixed with some well rotted manure. Carefully plunge a single chitted potato tuber into the compost with the shoots pointing upwards at a depth of 12cm (5") from the soil surface. Place the bags in a sunny position and water regularly to keep the compost moist.
When growing second cropping potatoes in the ground avoid planting in soil where potatoes have grown for two years in succession as this will increase the risk of disease. Prepare the planting area in a sheltered position in full sun on moist well drained soil. Dig in plenty of well rotted manure. Plant potatoes in rows at spacing of 45cm (18"). Rows should be set out 75cm (2', 6") apart. Place the seed potatoes into 10cm (4") deep trenches and backfill the soil to refill the trenches. If risk of frost threatens, protect emerging shoots by drawing some soil over the top of them.
Aftercare.
Keep potato plants well watered throughout the growing season. If the risk of frost threatens, draw some soil up around the stems to protect them, or move potato bags to a frost free position in a shed or greenhouse. Tubers can be harvested as required, with the others being left in the ground. 'Ping-pong ball' sized tubers can be harvested approximately 10 to 11 weeks after planting, or harvested 13 weeks from planting when the foliage begins to turn yellow and die back. After harvesting, store potatoes in a cool, dark frost-free position until you are ready to use them.
Alternatively cut down the haulms (stems) with secateurs to just above soil level as the leaves wither/yellow and protect from frost by covering with a thick layer of straw and/or sacking. These can then be lifted as new potatoes at Christmas time.