Alan Titchmarsh advises on how to plant chit potatoes

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Potatoes are a staple ingredient through the spring and summer with plenty of seasonal recipes featuring salad varieties or larger, baked spuds. With so many ways to cook this humble stem vegetable, there’s no better place to source them from than your own garden. March is a great time to begin planting them in your garden as the soil temperature has started to warm up.

Managing Director of Gardening Express Chris Bonnett shared the “ideal” spot to plant all potatoes exclusively with Express.co.uk.

Chris established Gardening Express in the late 1990s and has a wide-ranging knowledge of plants and gardens.

He said: “Ideally, you want to plant your potatoes in a sunny spot and be sure to keep them away from frost.”

Some gardeners decide to chit their potatoes before planting.

This involves letting the potatoes grow shoots, which will give a bigger potato crop.

Gardeners should start chitting around six weeks before they intend to plant them out.

Some people put potatoes in an egg carton to hold them in position to sprout.

They take around two to three weeks to sprout and should produce sprouts around one to two centimetres long before they’re planted in the ground.

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When planting potatoes, the perfect time varies depending one which type gardeners want to grow.

Chris said: “First early potatoes can be planted in March and these will be ready to harvest in June.”

To stagger your supply, plant your new potatoes continually until May for a prolonged harvest.

He suggested using the “bag” trick for growing first early potatoes.

Chris said: “You can actually grow first earlies in a bag on a patio so it’s a good option for those with little garden space. 

“Because these are an early crop they won’t be fresh for too long, so you’ll want to use these pretty soon after harvesting.”

The gardening guru also noted that spring is a great time to begin growing tomatoes.

Chris said: “You can also begin to sow tomatoes but pick your type carefully. 

“Cordon tomatoes grow tall and will need extra support from a cane as they grow so they do require a bit more maintenance. 

The expert stressed the importance of keeping tomato seeds warm when starting to grow them.

Chris said: “When sowing your tomato seeds try to keep them warm – you can do this by placing them on a window sill with something like a plastic bag over them. 

“When it comes to moving this outside, be sure to keep them moist and give them plenty of water. 

“You can even give them a high potassium fertiliser around every two weeks.”

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