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What To Sow
Potatoes (early) growing

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Hardy — can tolerate frost

When to plant
potatoes (early) in the UK

Chit (sprout) seed potatoes on a windowsill before planting. Earth up as they grow — if you see green skin, it's toxic.

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11wto harvest
30cmspacing
5°Cmin soil temp
hardyhardiness
Plan it for your plot

Work out your own dates

Starts from the recommended sow date for your area. Sowed on a different day, or planted out late? Adjust below and the harvest moves with it.

Using the UK-average last frost · 15 April · add your postcode to tune it

Sow11 March
Harvest from27 May

Growing journey

Last frost
Direct sow5w before frost
Harvest6w after frost

11 weeks from sowing to harvest

Get potatoes (early) seeds

Thompson & MorganSarah RavenSuttons

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What potatoes (early) need

Sun. Rich soil. Water well once flowers appear.

Reading blight conditions…

Spacing

30cm

30cm between plants

Give each plant room to spread. Overcrowding reduces yield.

the varieties

Varieties worth growing

Charlotte

common

Waxy, buttery, and the finest potato salad potato money can't buy — because you grew it. Boil until just tender, dress while warm, and try not to eat the entire bowl standing at the kitchen counter.

in the kitchen

Warm new potato salad

Boil until just tender, halve while warm, dress with grainy mustard, cider vinegar, a good glug of olive oil, and a scatter of chives. Better warm. Better still the next day.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Charlotte— full guide →

Swift

common

First early, ready in June, and there is absolutely nothing like digging your first potatoes of the year. Small, thin-skinned, and they taste like actual potatoes in a way that supermarket ones simply don't.

in the kitchen

Crushed new potatoes with mint butter

Boil until tender, crush lightly with a fork, then toss with mint-flecked butter and flaky salt. The skins are so thin they almost dissolve. June on a plate.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Swift— full guide →

Maris Piper

common

The UK's most-grown potato variety, and there's a reason every chip shop in the country uses it. Good at everything: chips, mash, roasting, baking. Not exciting, just excellent.

in the kitchen

Baked potato

Rub with oil and salt, bake at 200C for an hour and a half until the skin is crisp and the inside is fluffy cloud. Load with butter, cheese, beans, whatever you want. The most honest meal there is.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Maris Piper— full guide →

Jazzy

uncommon

A waxy salad potato that chefs grow tiny for maximum flavour intensity. L'Enclume in Cartmel serve these as the most perfect little potatoes you've ever eaten. Grow them close together, harvest small, and prepare to be astonished by how much flavour fits in something so little.

in the kitchen

Tiny roasted potatoes

Harvest small, toss whole with olive oil, crushed garlic, and rosemary. Roast until the skins are crisp and the insides are creamy. Eat hot with flaky salt. Looks like a restaurant plate, tastes like a garden.

find the seedsThompson & Morgan→Suttons→
Jazzy— full guide →

When to sow potatoes (early)

Direct sowMarchApril

Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.

Seeds

Where to buy potatoes (early) seeds

Thompson & MorganSarah RavenSuttons

Links may be affiliate links. We may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Kit

What you'll need for potatoes (early)

The stuff beginners wish they'd bought sooner.

Chitting traysAmazon

Early varieties especially need a good chit. Start them in a bright, frost-free spot 6 weeks before planting.

Horticultural fleeceAmazon

Protects from late frost and gives seedlings a head start. Keep a roll in the shed — you'll use it constantly.

More in our equipment guide →

Links go to Amazon. We earn a small commission at no extra cost to you.

Get your exact dates

Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for potatoes (early).

Keep exploring

Other crops to grow

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Pinch out the growing tips once the first pods form to discourage blackfly. They

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Sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Pick regularly to keep them producin

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Sow a short row every 2 weeks and you'll never buy a supermarket bag again. Pick

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Bolts the moment it gets hot. Best in spring and autumn. Pick little and often —

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The quickest crop you can grow — seed to plate in 4 weeks. Sow between slower cr

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Sow thinly to avoid thinning — the smell of crushed leaves is a dinner bell for

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Each seed cluster produces several seedlings — thin to the strongest. Don't chuc

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Push sets into the soil with the tip just showing. Easiest way to grow onions —

Potatoes (maincrop)

Plant a few weeks after earlies. Earth up as haulms grow. Harvest when foliage d

Kale

Gets sweeter after a frost. One of the hardiest crops — can harvest all winter.

Parsnips

Very slow to germinate (2-4 weeks). Use fresh seed every year. Sow radishes alon

Spring onions

Sow a pinch every few weeks and you'll have spring onions all season. Dead easy

Swiss chard

Beautiful and productive. Pick outer leaves and it keeps going for months. Rainb

Turnips

Harvest when golf-ball sized for the sweetest flavour. Leave them too long and t

Leeks

Drop seedlings into deep holes and just water in — no need to fill the hole. The

Broccoli

Cut the main head first and you'll get side shoots for weeks. Purple sprouting i

Cabbage

Different varieties for each season — spring, summer, autumn, and winter types.

Cauliflower

Fold outer leaves over the curd to keep it white. Cauliflower leaves are delicio

Brussels sprouts

Grow through summer, harvest from autumn through winter. Flavour improves after

Garlic

Plant individual cloves Oct-Nov, pointed end up, 2.5cm deep. Garlic needs a cold

Parsley

Slow to germinate (3-4 weeks) — don't give up on it. Soak seeds overnight in war

Strawberries

Plant runners in spring or late summer and you will be picking fruit the followi

Raspberries

Plant bare-root canes in winter for the cheapest option. Summer varieties fruit

Blackberries

Cultivated blackberries produce bigger, sweeter fruit than wild ones and are tho

Gooseberries

One of the easiest fruit bushes for UK allotments. Plant a bare-root bush in win

Blackcurrants

Blackcurrants are packed with vitamin C and make the best jam and cordial. Plant

Redcurrants

Beautiful jewel-like berries that hang in trusses. They tolerate more shade than

Rhubarb

Plant a crown in winter, do not harvest the first year, and it will reward you w

Sweetcorn

Plant in a block, not a row — they're wind-pollinated and need neighbours. Each

Courgettes

You only need 2-3 plants. Seriously. Pick them small (15cm) or they turn into ma

French beans

Dwarf varieties need no support. Pick every few days — once they start producing

Squash

Big hungry plants — give them space and feed them well. Leave to cure in the sun

Pumpkins

Limit each plant to 2-3 fruits for bigger pumpkins. Sit them on a tile or slate

Coriander

Bolts at the slightest excuse. Sow every 3-4 weeks, pick frequently, and choose

Rocket

Dead easy and fast. Gets spicier in hot weather — which is either a feature or a

Pak choi

Sow early spring or after midsummer — it'll bolt faster than you can blink in th

Fennel

Sow after midsummer for best bulbs — earlier sowings often bolt. Don't transplan

Celery

Sow seeds on the surface — they need light to germinate. Start early in a propag

Dill

Sow direct — dill absolutely hates being transplanted. Short rows every few week

Tomatoes

Pinch out side shoots on cordon types. Feed weekly with tomato feed once the fir

Peppers

Start early — they're slow growers. Pinch out the first flower to encourage bush

Chillies

Need heat to germinate — use a propagator or the warmest windowsill you've got.

Cucumbers

Outdoor varieties are tougher and easier than greenhouse ones. Keep picking and

Runner beans

Build a strong frame — they get seriously heavy. Pick every 2-3 days or they go

Aubergine

Start very early — January isn't too soon. Limit to 5-6 fruits per plant if you

Basil

Pinch out flower buds to keep leaves coming. Harvest from the top to encourage b