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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.
Growing journey
11 weeks from sowing to harvest
Get potatoes (early) seeds
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What potatoes (early) need
Sun. Rich soil. Water well once flowers appear.
Spacing
30cm between plants
Give each plant room to spread. Overcrowding reduces yield.
Varieties to try
When to sow potatoes (early)
Based on UK average frost date. Enter your postcode for exact dates, or find your city.
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Where to buy potatoes (early) seeds
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What you'll need for potatoes (early)
The stuff beginners wish they'd bought sooner.
Early varieties especially need a good chit. Start them in a bright, frost-free spot 6 weeks before planting.
Protects from late frost and gives seedlings a head start. Keep a roll in the shed — you'll use it constantly.
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Get your exact dates
Enter your postcode for personalised planting dates for potatoes (early).
Other crops to grow
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Sow every 3 weeks for a continuous harvest. Pick regularly to keep them producin
Sow a short row every 2 weeks and you'll never buy a supermarket bag again. Pick
Bolts the moment it gets hot. Best in spring and autumn. Pick little and often —
The quickest crop you can grow — seed to plate in 4 weeks. Sow between slower cr
Sow thinly to avoid thinning — the smell of crushed leaves is a dinner bell for
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Sow a pinch every few weeks and you'll have spring onions all season. Dead easy
Beautiful and productive. Pick outer leaves and it keeps going for months. Rainb
Harvest when golf-ball sized for the sweetest flavour. Leave them too long and t
Drop seedlings into deep holes and just water in — no need to fill the hole. The
Cut the main head first and you'll get side shoots for weeks. Purple sprouting i
Different varieties for each season — spring, summer, autumn, and winter types.
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Grow through summer, harvest from autumn through winter. Flavour improves after
Plant individual cloves Oct-Nov, pointed end up, 2.5cm deep. Garlic needs a cold
Slow to germinate (3-4 weeks) — don't give up on it. Soak seeds overnight in war
Plant runners in spring or late summer and you will be picking fruit the followi
Plant bare-root canes in winter for the cheapest option. Summer varieties fruit
Cultivated blackberries produce bigger, sweeter fruit than wild ones and are tho
One of the easiest fruit bushes for UK allotments. Plant a bare-root bush in win
Blackcurrants are packed with vitamin C and make the best jam and cordial. Plant
Beautiful jewel-like berries that hang in trusses. They tolerate more shade than
Plant a crown in winter, do not harvest the first year, and it will reward you w
Plant in a block, not a row — they're wind-pollinated and need neighbours. Each
You only need 2-3 plants. Seriously. Pick them small (15cm) or they turn into ma
Dwarf varieties need no support. Pick every few days — once they start producing
Big hungry plants — give them space and feed them well. Leave to cure in the sun
Limit each plant to 2-3 fruits for bigger pumpkins. Sit them on a tile or slate
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Dead easy and fast. Gets spicier in hot weather — which is either a feature or a
Sow early spring or after midsummer — it'll bolt faster than you can blink in th
Sow after midsummer for best bulbs — earlier sowings often bolt. Don't transplan
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Sow direct — dill absolutely hates being transplanted. Short rows every few week
Pinch out side shoots on cordon types. Feed weekly with tomato feed once the fir
Start early — they're slow growers. Pinch out the first flower to encourage bush
Need heat to germinate — use a propagator or the warmest windowsill you've got.
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Build a strong frame — they get seriously heavy. Pick every 2-3 days or they go
Start very early — January isn't too soon. Limit to 5-6 fruits per plant if you
Pinch out flower buds to keep leaves coming. Harvest from the top to encourage b