“The Humble Potato”

“You grow a lot of potatoes”, she said, as she looked at the vegetable and fruit patch in my garden. Was this just an observation (an accurate one) or was there something behind it? Was the real question, “Why do you as an elderly widower living alone grow so many potatoes?”

If that was the question, the answer lies in the second law of vegetable and fruit gardening.

The first law is “don’t do it at all, unless you are fully committed, prepared to work hard and to face setbacks from pests, plant disease and the vagaries of the weather”.

The second law is “only grow what you like to eat”. Avoid things which may be trendy but which you don’t particularly like. I used to grow Swiss chard and spinach, neither of which I happen to like. I now grow cabbage and kale, which I enjoy. If you happen to find courgettes boring and don’t know how best to cook them, avoid them and try squashes instead. They are more tasty and versatile.

The third law is think hard before trying things which are hard to grow like, in my case, asparagus. Also know you soil and avoid things which it might not suit, like carrots on heavy clay soil.

You need to think how many mouths you have to feed. If I had a big family I would grow runner beans, because you can get a big crop. But I prefer French beans which are better suited to my style of cooking.

Some vegetables freeze well, which is useful if you get a big crop. Broad beans and peas are good examples. I don’t find that green beans freeze well.

Back to potatoes. I like home-grown potatoes, for flavour and freshness, and being free from nasty chemicals. I grow earlies in a poly tunnel and aim to have them ready to eat by early May. I grow second earlies outdoors and aim to have them ready for mid-June. Main crop are ready from late July. They are lifted in early autumn and stored in paper sacks in the cellar. In a good year the last me to Christmas. Despite the heat waves and drought, my main crop, “Cara”, are looking very good this year.

Potatoes are a staple food for millions of people. We should not forget the potato famine in Ireland and its devastating consequences. In no way should potatoes be called “humble”. With climate change we must take care of staple foods.

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