Perfect Potatoes

Potatoes are great, aren't they? They are a bit like me, wonderfully versatile ;) As you all know by now, I am Lulu the Secret Blogger, and I like to update you on what is happening in my garden as well as lots of other general gardening wonderments. Today, I am mostly talking tatties!

M&D have tried many varieties of potatoes over the years, some good, some not so good. They reliably informed me that one of their favourites was Maris Peer so that was what we chose to plant again this year. Way back in April, when it felt like summer would never arrive, we planted our seed potatoes in our raised beds. Over the months I watched with amazement as plants would poke through the surface of the soil which would then be covered over again with earth until they sprouted so high they were free to sun themselves. Flowers appeared and then, eventually, the foliage slowly started to die back. One day, Daddy announced it was time to dig deep in the raised beds and see what we could find - how exciting! Just like a treasure hunt. Here are some photos of how to successfully dig up potatoes, Lulu-style...

First, you need to dig and collect the potatoes. Be careful with your
fork as you don't want to spear all the potatoes and ruin them. 

Next you need to carefully inspect each potato.
Teeny small ones, green ones & rotten ones are all discarded. 

Next you carefully put the potato in the correct trug. One for
good potatoes, one for the discarded potatoes. It's important to
remember which one is which!

It is very hard work so if you feel tired, have a wee
lie down! They did say this was a raised bed! 

Jump down, inspect your bounty and congratulate
yourself on a job well done. I got a little bit dirty ;)

And here is what we got - a brilliant result!

They are lovely boiled. A nice, waxy texture
and a slightly nutty flavour. Awesome!

We grew our potatoes in our raised beds but you can grow potatoes anywhere - in your flower border, in a pot, in a compost bag. They are super-easy to grow, really cheap and they taste so much nicer than supermarket potatoes. 

Store your potatoes in a hessian sack in a cool, dry place like your shed or garage. They will keep well for a few months but keep checking on them and remove any that are starting to show signs of rot straight away. 

Hope you have as much fun as I did digging (and eating) up potatoes! Click here to read about what else we have harvested this year.

Hugs & kisses,

Lulu xx