Many ways with spuds

Whether you go the traditional route or try no-dig beds or bags, there are lots of ways to grow potatoes, says Bob

- Bob Flowerdew

If you're keen to see delicious potato harvests of earlies like 'Rocket', there are plenty of great growing options

POTATOES are easy, and obligingly can be grown in many ways. Traditionally, we make a trench, add manure, put in our sets (small potatoes used as seeds) and earth up the growing haulms (stems and leaves). We then dig up the new crop later as 'new' potatoes when we can't wait any longer, or go for bigger yields later when the haulms die down.

Traditional trench growing is effective for bumper crops if you earth up growing haulms (stems and leaves)

Of course, we may lose crops to blight and other problems such as slugs. But, overall, potatoes are fairly reliable, especially if you chose mostly earlies and second-earlies.

These are fast and usually harvested before those problems have time to set in. So, what will improve your yield?

With the no-dig method, potato sets are planted on top of the soil, then covered with compost and a mulch like dried straw