The first signs of the 2021 season have started to arrive. I have received my first delivery, and I now have two types of seed potatoes ready for chitting. I ordered 1 kilogram of first earlies, 1 kilogram of second earlies and 1 kilogram of the main crop.

Pentland Javelin will be my first early crop this year and ideal for an early summer salad. They are a waxy potato which holds together well after boiling.

My variety of choice for my second earlies are Vivaldi. Vivaldi is a high yield, versatile, low carb and low-calorie potatoes. My family and I eat lots of potatoes, so it will be nice to have a potato that will accompany a healthier diet and lifestyle.

For my main crop, I have chosen Maris Pipers. These potatoes are ideal for making chips and roasting, giving a lovely crisp outside and fluffy inside once cooked.

These seed potatoes will be kept in a frost-free location until March when I drop them into the ground or potato grow bag. The first and second earlies should be ready for harvesting after 9-12, and the maincrop will be mature after 14 weeks. This potato will benefit from winter digging with well-rotted manure. I am trying to reduce the amount of digging I need to do to make sure these potatoes are dropped into a trench with compost, and some potash raked into the surface after the tubers have been buried.

I suspect I will grow some in grow bags and others in the veg patch. Potatoes have been a constant part of my vegetable patch since I started growing my own food, but they take up a lot of room if spaced correctly. I may reconsider having an allotment. My last allotment gave me a much greater plot of land to grow food. I kept my root vegetables at my allotment freeing up my home garden for more tender produce; as always, it comes down to time and keeping up with other commitments.