A few days before planting, fork over the plot, incorporating some general-purpose fertiliser. Set the tubers in rows 3-5in deep, either at the bottom of a 'V' shaped trench or in individual small holes. Many gardeners aim to have the rows running north-south as this allows the sun's rays to warm both sides of the ridges.

Plant your potatoes when the soil has started to warm up, usually from mid-March.

First Earlies: 
Plant mid-March to the end of May with tubers spaced about 12in apart, in rows 24in apart.

Second Earlies and Maincrop: 
Plant mid-March to the end of April with tubers spaced about 15in apart, in rows 30in apart.

Earthing Up

As soon as shoots start to appear above the soil, it's time to start 'earthing up'. This means pulling soil over the shoots from either side of the row to form a ridge. Repeat this regularly until the ridges are around 8in high.

Set up to 5 tubers on top of 4-6in of good quality compost in each potato bag and then cover the tubers with 4-6in of compost.

As the plants grow and shoots emerge above the surface, add more compost to the bags to cover the shoots (earthing up) and then repeat as needed until the compost is about 2in below the top of the bag.

Keep compost moist at all times, but don't saturate it as this might cause the tubers to rot.

TIPS

• Chitting potatoes before planting will encourage quicker establishment and growth.
• Mix potato fertiliser or a good general-purpose fertiliser with the compost during planting and earthing up.
• Potatoes do best when grown in a light, warm and sunny spot.
• You can start your potato bags in a greenhouse or conservatory from as early as February, moving them outside when risk of frost has passed.

First earlies are usually ready in around 8-14 weeks. They are best harvested in small quantities and eaten straightaway when fresh in June and July, usually when the plant starts to flower.

Second earlies take around 15-17 weeks to mature after planting.

They can also be harvested in small quantities and eaten when fresh in June and July. Alternatively, allow the skins to toughen up as you do with maincrop potatoes, lift as late as September and store.

Maincrops are ready 18 to 20 weeks after planting, so they can be lifted from late July through to October. The above-ground growth will be looking past its best. Two weeks before you lift the crop, cut the growth off at ground level. This should give the skins of the potatoes sufficient time to toughen up, making them far less prone to damage from lifting and easier to store.

Try and pick a dry sunny day to harvest your potatoes and leave them on the surface for a few hours to harden the skin. It’s best to store your potatoes in a hessian sack in a cool, dark, frost-free area.