Why Grow Your Own Potatoes?

It's Easy!

Potatoes are easy - you don’t have to be an expert! No rocket science involved (unless of course you grow the variety “Rocket”) only soil, food (nutrients & fertiliser) water, sunshine, and of course a classified seed potato, plus 100-150 days.

With Food Prices Soaring, Reduce the Impact on the Family Budget

Carefully managed potatoes contribute to the household budget - in belt tightening times this is a priority! With high heating, mortgage, fuel and food costs, a fun day in the garden ending with a barbecue can save £100 or more.

Safest Food

Healthy food! Britain’s safest food -  no cholesterol, vitamin C and a great source of carbohydrates.

Zero Chemicals

A chemical free way of keeping weeds in check in an unruly part of the garden. Potato plants produce sun blocking canopies which blot out these unwelcome and unwanted weeds.

Low Carbon Footprint

Reduce food miles and your carbon footprint. Enjoy being productive in the garden rather than aimlessly driving around or trotting up and down the supermarket aisles.

Healthy for the Body

Digging, barrowing, raking, bending, stretching, lifting - you can feel the great effects on your body.

Health from the Sun

Vitamin D direct to your skin from the sunlight in the great outdoors. Be careful not to overdo it though!

Stress Buster

Great stress buster! Switch off to the busy depressed news bulletins, enjoy the anticipation of crops, listen to the birds singing, chat to your neighbours, make friends down the allotment.  

4th Most Important Food Crop

The fourth most important food crop in the world (The other three maize, wheat, and rice are a bit tricky to grow in the average garden and you wouldn’t get sufficient quantities for a bowl of cornflakes, a loaf of bread or rice for a curry).

Family Relationships

Family bonding - Enjoy doing something healthy and wholesome together, from toddlers to adolescents and beyond.

Fantastic Freshness

Taste the freshness! Two minutes from plot to pot.

Versatility in the Kitchen

Your favourite chefs or cooks:  all have potato ideas recipes to excite the palate.

Street/House "Cred"!

Growing your own potatoes gives such a great sense of achievement so boast to family, friends or neighbours “These are mine, grown in our garden“ or “We are just finishing last years - the crop was so big it lasted the whole winter and we’ll be eating our new potatoes with mint next week.”

Knowledge

You learn and appreciate where your food comes from and how it is produced.

Did You Know?

• Potatoes originated in the Andes and were grown in Peru over 8,000 years ago.
• China has the largest area under production in the world.
• The October school holidays allowed the potato crop to be harvested.
• Potatoes have been grown in outer space.
• Glastonbury Festival uses potato tent pegs, a bio-plastic made from potato starch to stop the cows from choking when the bands and tents have gone and the meadow is back to grazing.
• We eat 97 kilos per head per year in the UK.

Fun

It's good fun to grow potatoes and very exciting to harvest them!