Potatoes

We grow a few rows of early potatoes. They taste great when they are eaten straight from the garden.

Potatoes are tubers and grow underground. They come from South America. They get their energy from the leaves which go up to the sunlight and roots underneath. One small potatoe planted in spring can produce 20 more by autumn!

I've taken some pictures of them growing. Watch how things change as you go down the page. Click on the pictures to see bigger pictures!

Potatoes are sown in rows about 30cm apart in lots of manure. These are early potatoes and were sown in mid April.
By early May the shoots appeared.
And 10 days later were quite big. Notice the soil has been pulled up around the stems so the potatoes growing underground will remain covered up.
By early June the leaves are at full height and flowers are about to come.
The potatoes will continue to grow underground until August