Holidays are Coming, Tis the Season for Growing Christmas Potatoes in Containers

Imagine sitting down to the dinner table at Christmas, with your homegrown potatoes roasted in the oven and on the dinner plate?

It’s so fulfilling that you will have achieved growing these potatoes (started in late summer). Your family will be overjoyed with smiles as they can’t wait to try your freshly harvested potatoes and memories will be made at the dinner table for years to come.

Roasted Homegrown Potatoes

All About Christmas Potatoes

It’s been a while since I’ve grown Christmas Potatoes so I thought as our summer new potatoes harvest was bountiful, I would try again for growing Christmas potatoes.

I’m trying variety ‘Red Duke of York’ as the potatoes are good for roasting so good for Christmas Dinner!

Christmas Potatoes are First Earlies which means that they grow quickly in 10 – 12 weeks (3 months).

Potatoes planted in February, harvested July in 2 x 30L pots.

What do you need to Grow Christmas Potatoes?

  • Seed Potato Tubers for growing as Christmas Potatoes (from a reputable supplier or local garden centre).
  • Multi-Purpose Peat Free Compost – approx 30L.
  • Containers or old compost bags – at least 30 litres.

When do I Plant Christmas Potatoes?

Months: August and September.

Christmas Potatoes – Popular Varieties

Red Duke of York – I’m growing
Foremost
Desiree
Maris Piper
Wilma
Charlotte

How to Get Started & Plant your Potato Tubers

1. I don’t Chit Christmas Potatoes, as there isn’t time. The potato tubers will sprout in the compost soon enough in the late summer heat.

If you would like to know more about What is Chitting? Read my February post on Ways to Chit Potato Tubers.

2. Open your Potatoes Tubers packet and check for any damaged or rotten tubers, remove them before planting.

3. Fill your container with about 20cm depth of compost.

4. Place your Potato Tubers on top of the soil, 3 or 4 tubers spaced out so they have got room to grow and not too close to the container sides.

Seed Potatoes placed on compost in container

5. Cover your tubers with compost and then add another layer of compost. Your compost and potato layers should be about half way up the container.

6. Water well so that the water is running out from the bottom of the container.

7. Place the pots in a Sunny position (the pots do not need sun all day long, half a day is fine).

8. Your potatoes will now sent shoots with green leaves up to the surface of the soil. Leaves will push through the soil. Now it’s time to cover the leaves totally with soil. Keep doing this process until your soil is at the top of the pot.

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