The Great Potato Plan

Last year, I did an experiment with some Charlotte potatoes I had left over in the fridge, by chitting and planting 4 of them into an old recycling bin. Now most seasoned gardeners will say not to do this, as they are apparently treated to stop them from sprouting and will not give off a very good yield. I’m here to tell you you’re wrong, and I know this because last year, from those 4 seeds, I got 54 potatoes. That’s a yield of 13.5 potatoes per seed. If that’s not proof that potatoes will grow from shop bought potatoes, then I don’t know what is.

So this year, I will be doing the same again, and have selected 2 varieties of early potato to chit and plant. I have 3 of each variety, so 6 in total, and I will be planting them in bins again, using just ordinary compost.

I have done a bit of research on this, and I can promise you it’s not a fluke – I came across a gent on Youtube who has grown shop bought potatoes of many different varieties over the years, with success. And I’m sure there are others.

Away from potatoes, I have also been planning the rest of my garden for the year ahead. I want to spend as little as possible because the aim is to grow at least a little bit of my own food and to save some money. So I have raided the box of seeds that I managed to collect last year, and with a few exceptions will be growing most of it for free.

Here is a list, by bed, of what will be growing in my garden this year:

Lettuce - Little Gem

Spring Onion - White Lisbon & Shimonita

Garlic - Spanish (experiment from shop bought cloves)

Cabbage - Savoy

Beetroot - Boltardy & Bolder

Radish - Sparkler

French Beans - Dwarf Variety

Chilli - Cayenne

Sweet Peppers - Unknown

Leeks - Musselborough

Cape Gooseberries

In containers:

Potatoes

Carrots

Strawberries

Basil

Mint

Chives

As well as saving some cash, the idea is for us to eat more healthily as a family, and I’m hoping that having them available outside our back door will encourage us to do this.

I hope that you will visit me here and join my journey over the coming months, and perhaps even be inspired to try growing your own veg. And I hope that I’ll prove to you that no matter how small a space you have, you can grow something.