Christmas Day potato project is probably the furthest thing from your mind right now. But lets skip ahead to the well planned, anticipated mighty feast. Imagine yourself and your family around the dinner table, tummies rumbling, eyes bigger than bellies - then you serve a dish of your very own home grown potatoes, and watch everyone's face light up with delight. (Mash will do that to you!)
Some people are excited for presents, some are excited to see Santa and others are simply fantasising about how delicious their Christmas dinner is going to be. If you are somebody who likes the idea of harvesting their own veg for Christmas? Then you might want to think about getting your potatoes ready now. You might be thinking, August is way too early to start preparing for Christmas, but the best potatoes are the ones that have involved the most preparation!
We've created a potato growing kit that will make the project so easy and first time grower proof! Introducing our Christmas Day Potato Project.
With this project you will receive one of our favourite and best selling products - the Award Winning Vegebag. The Vegebag is from the Vegepod family and is the Winner of RHS Chelsea Flower Show’s “Garden Product of the year 2020”. The Vegebag creates a greenhouse-like environment, protection from weather and bugs, ensuring a successful crop. Suitable for all first time growers looking to bring some extra magic to the dinner table.
This project includes:
- Vegebag (Large) (x 1): This Award Winning item is the easiest and budget friendly way to start growing potatoes right outside your back door. It has a mesh protection for your potatoes against pets, wildlife, unwanted bugs and harsh weather. The greenhouse like environment protects your plants and ensures optimal growth.
- Growise Multipurpose Compost (x 1)
- Nature Safe Live Soil Probiotic 125ml (x 1): This is a natural plant food that provides a range of benefits for plant health and growth. It's also proven to increase vegetable and fruit yields and promote healthier plants. Get ready for the perfect potatoes!
- Charlotte Seed Potatoes (x 1): Charlotte seed potatoes can be planted in late July or August and will be ready for late Autumn or Christmas. They're suitable for growing in pots, containers or in the garden. They're available for eating after about 12 weeks of growing. A packet of 9 seed potatoes will yield 50 - 60 potatoes which makes them perfect for Christmas with plenty to go around.
How to plant
- You can begin sowing from late July to August.
- Use the Vegebag to grow your potatoes.
- Simply add 6 inches of compost in the base of the bag, place 5 tubers into first layer add another 6 inches of compost on top and plant another layer of tubers and cover with 6 inches of compost. Water well.
- Make sure your potatoes are placed with the eye facing up.
- Add Nature Safe Live Soil Probiotic to provide your potatoes with nutrients and to boost growth.
- Zip up the bag, place in place in a bright location on your patio or balcony and wait for the magic to happen! You will start to see green shoots appearing through the soil in weeks.
- For extra good measure, you can feed with liquid fertilzer monthly - we recommend Horkans Tomo Feed
- They will be ready to harvest 12 weeks from planting/ December.
- Harvest, cook and enjoy!
Things to watch out for:
Blight and frosty weather: Sometimes potato blight might become a problem if the weather is favourable and cause the fungus to grow. When the weather is warm, and humid. We will give plenty of warning and recommendations if blight has been forecasted in August and September. During frosty weather the Vegebag can be brought into a porch or green house or garage at night to avoid the frost. Frost bitten leaves can be removed. These two factors are easily treatable and avoidable.
If you have any questions now or during your planting project, our garden experts are always available and happy to help, simple visit or call our stores.
If you're interested in this then you might be interested in our other Simple Family Gardening Projects, which you can read about here.