Potatoes

Potatoes first came to Europe from South America in the 16th century. Sir Walter Raleigh is supposed to have introduced them to England in 1586 but it is not known whether or not this is true. Potatoes became a very important food in Ireland and many people died of famine in 1845, when potato blight caused the crop to stop producing .

The first reference to chips was in an 1854 cookery book. During World War 2, the Minister of Food, Lord Woolton, declared that fish and chips were the only food which could never be rationed. Potatoes were the first crop to be grown in space, on board of space shuttle Columbia in 1995.

Potatoes are tubers which grow at the end of underground stems. Most potatoes have white flesh but one variety has red flesh and there is even a blue fleshed variety. The largest recorded potato weighed 3.2kg - as heavy as a new born baby! Potatoes are often called 'spuds'. This name came from the type of spade used in the 19th century to dig them up.

Growing Potatoes

Growing potatoes is easy and spring is the perfect time to them, so why not have a go? You can grow them in the ground but they take up a lot of room so growing them in a container is a good idea. All you need is a container at least 40cm deep - an empty growbag or an old dustbin or a container. Make sure that there are some drainage holes at or near the bottom, otherwise your crop will become waterlogged. Handy hint! Before planting, chit your seed potatoes by leaving them out in a cool, light place for a week or so until small shoots have begun to grow.

1. Fill the bag or container half way with soil or compost and plant up to three seed potatoes 15cm apart and 10cm deep.

2. As the plants grow, add more soil or compost until the container is almost full. Water well and regularly. Enjoy your potatoes from July onwards.

If your container is very deep, try planting 2 or 3 layers of potatoes and wait for a bumper crop!