The roasted potatoes at Christmas dinner just wouldn’t be the same without them. You can grow your own potatoes for a tasty Christmas harvest, though. All you need is some planning and some easy growing tips. On Christmas Day, you can enjoy fresh potatoes grown near you.
Why Grow Your Own Christmas Potatoes?
Garden-grown potatoes are much better than store-bought ones. When they are dug up fresh from the ground, they have a wonderful sweet, earthy flavor and fluffy texture. You can get the same delicate “new” potatoes in the winter by planting a late crop. You’ll also feel good about serving potatoes that you grew yourself.
Choosing the Right Potato Variety
Early and second early varieties are the best for getting potatoes ready for Christmas. Look for types that grow quickly—ten to twelve weeks from planting to harvest. Popular choices include:
- Charlotte
- Red Duke of York
- Nicola
- Swift
- Maris Peer
Avoid maincrop/late varieties as they take too long to mature.
When to Plant Potates for Christmas Crops
When you grow Christmas potatoes, timing is very important. If you do it right, you’ll have a great crop for the holidays.
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In mild areas, aim to plant potatoes in the ground from late July/early August. This gives 10-12 weeks before the weather cools and frosts arrive.
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In colder regions, planting can be delayed a little, to late August or early September. Sheltered coastal gardens may still produce a crop.
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For really late harvests, potatoes can be planted in pots or containers in a greenhouse or porch from late August/early September. Keep frost-free as they grow.
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It’s too late to plant potatoes outside after mid-October in most parts of the UK. The exception is Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, where new potatoes can be harvested at Christmas after October planting.
How to Grow Christmas Potatoes
Follow these simple steps for success:
Prepare the Ground
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Clear a site in full sun. Shelter from wind helps extend the growing season.
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Improve soil by digging in garden compost or well-rotted manure. Rake level.
Planting
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Buy certified seed potatoes from garden centres or nurseries. Check for damage/disease.
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In rows: Make 10cm deep trenches 38cm apart. Space seed potatoes 30cm apart in row. Cover over.
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In containers: Use 30-40cm pots. Add compost. Plant 1-3 tubers per pot. Cover with compost.
Growing
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Water well, especially in drought. Potatoes need consistent moisture.
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Earth up stems with soil/compost as they grow to develop tubers.
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Protect outdoor crops with horticultural fleece if frost threatens.
Harvesting
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Carefully dig up potatoes as needed once the foliage dies back.
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Brush off soil, wipe clean and store carefully in the dark.
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For late crops, insulate tubers outdoors with straw or lift and store in frost-free shed.
Common Problems
Take steps to avoid these potential pitfalls:
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Frost damage – Cover plants to protect from cold snaps.
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Slugs/pests – Remove by hand or use organic controls.
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Blight – Grow blight resistant varieties if risk is high.
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Tuber damage – Avoid bruising when harvesting and storing.
Step 1[image id=”30224″ size=”landscape_thumbnail” align=”none” title=”Adding compost to the bag” alt=”Adding compost to the bag” classes=””] Adding compost to the bag
Fill a potato bag or large pot (at least 40cm wide) with peat-free, multi-purpose compost, until it’s two thirds full.
How to grow potatoes indoors for Christmas harvests
- Use a container that is at least 30 cm (1ft) deep and wide, and make sure the bottom has drainage holes. You can also buy containers specifically made for growing potatoes.
- Plant food, garden soil mixed with garden food or well-rotted manure should be added as a layer. For 30cm (1ft) deep pots, a layer 10cm (4in) thick is enough. Larger pots can be half-filled, though.
- Give each tuber about 30 cm (1ft) of space and plant one to three of them in a pot. Then, cover them with 15 cm (6in) of compost or soil.
- As the leaves grow, cover the potatoes with more soil or compost until the pot is full to within 2 inches (5 cm) of the top. Leave a lip to aid watering.
- Keep well-watered and feed with a general-purpose liquid fertiliser.
- As the season goes on, make sure the greenhouse doesn’t get frosty, because frost would hurt the potato leaves.
- In late fall, the leaves will turn yellow and fall off. They can then be taken off and composted.
- If you keep the compost pretty dry, you can leave the tubers in their pots until you need them for Christmas.
How To Plant Potatoes For Christmas
FAQ
What are the best potatoes to plant for Christmas?
First and second early varieties such as ‘Charlotte’, ‘Nicola’ and ‘Maris Peer’ are recommended. As these will go straight into warm soil, they do not need to be chitted prior to planting.
What is the latest date you can plant potatoes?
Depending on the type, potatoes are mostly planted in the spring over a few weeks: First earlies—plant around the end of March Second earlies – plant in early to mid-April. Maincrops – plant in mid-April to early May.
Can I just throw potatoes in the ground?
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Why it works:Potatoes are actually tubers, which are underground stems that store food. When planted, they can sprout and grow into a new plant, producing new potatoes.
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Best Practices:
- Seed Potatoes: Ideally, use “seed potatoes,” which are specifically grown for planting and are usually disease-free.
- Cutting and Sprouting: If using larger potatoes, cut them into pieces with an eye on each. Allow the cut surfaces to dry for a few days before planting to prevent rot.
- Planting Depth and Spacing: Plant the potato pieces (or whole small potatoes) in a trench or hole about 5-6 inches deep. Space them 8-12 inches apart, depending on whether you are growing small baby potatoes or larger ones.
- Soil and Sunlight: Potatoes prefer slightly acidic soil (pH 5.8-6.5) and plenty of sunlight (at least 6 hours a day).
- “Hilling” (Optional): As the plants grow, you can “hill” them by adding more soil around the base of the stems to encourage the formation of more potatoes.
- Seed Potatoes: Ideally, use “seed potatoes,” which are specifically grown for planting and are usually disease-free.
What month is the best month to plant potatoes?
- February Planting: This allows you to take advantage of the rainy season and reduces the need for frequent watering.
- August Planting: This can lead to a harvest in late fall or early winter.
- Late March to May: This window is suitable for a spring harvest, but soil conditions should be checked to ensure they are not too wet.
How do you know when potato plants are ready to harvest?
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Foliage dying back:As the potatoes mature, the leaves will begin to turn yellow, brown, and eventually dry out and die back.
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Potato skin firmness:Mature potatoes will have a thick, firm skin that won’t easily rub off. You can test this by rubbing a few potatoes with your thumb.
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Time since planting:Most potato varieties need about 90 to 120 days to reach maturity. Some varieties, like Yukon Gold, can be ready in as few as 75 days.
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First frost:In some regions, the first frost can be a sign to harvest potatoes, as it can damage the foliage and signal the end of the growing season.
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Checking for maturity:Dig up a few potatoes and test their maturity by rubbing their skin with your thumb. If the skin is thin and easily rubbed off, they are not yet mature. If the skin is thick and firm, they are likely ready to harvest.
Can I plant potatoes at the end of July?
And July is time enough to plant some late potatoes, beans and summer squash. One big benefit of planting potatoes late in the season is that the Colorado potato beetle (Leptinotarsa decemlineata), which is most active in the spring, is less likely to attack your crops.
How do you grow Christmas potatoes?
Follow our advice on growing Christmas potatoes, below. Twenty minutes all together. Fill a potato bag or big pot (at least 40 cm wide) two thirds of the way to the top with peat-free, all-purpose compost. Lightly firm the compost, then set three seed potato tubers on the surface, 20-30cm apart. Add more compost to just cover the tubers.
Can you grow potatoes in autumn?
For autumn planting, you do best growing either a first or second early variety as these are very reliable for Christmas harvesting. However, you will need to get second crop seed potatoes. These are seed potatoes that have been cold stored to be planted in summer. You can normally buy in summer.
When should you plant potatoes for Christmas?
Some of the best new potatoes are grown from early and second early varieties, usually harvested in June and July. So, when planting in spring, save a few tubers for a later planting in summer, and you could be reaping the rewards at Christmas. Alternatively you can buy seed potatoes for Christmas in summer.
Can you grow potatoes at Christmas?
And this is also the time to plant some potatoes in pots so that you can enjoy some new potatoes over the festive season. In order to grow potatoes to harvest at Christmas time, you will likely need an undercover growing area in most temperate climates.
Should I plant a new potato for Christmas dinner?
This gives them plenty of time to grow ready for Christmas dinner. You want to plant an early (new) potato, as a main crop type will struggle to grow properly in time and in the expected conditions. I like to plant either Maris Peer or Nicola, the ones below are what I purchased this year. This is a lot of seed potatoes though, so be prepared!
When is the best time to plant potatoes?
Firstly, how long it takes to grow potatoes. Secondly, the growing season and when you’d normally plant potatoes. This all depends on the type of potato you’re growing, as the growing season can run anywhere from late March for first earlies to maincrops in April. But if you want to grow your own Christmas roasties, the time to plant them is now.