FAQs How do I …What is…when…?

Your potato growing questions. Answered.

We’ve compiled the most FAQs about Seed Potatoes and how to grow them here. No matter what stage you are in the potato year, we are here to help. Whether you need to identify which variety to grow, where and how to plant, when to harvest or how to store you will find most answers here.

We also have our Potatoes to Eat range, so if your question relates to that please follow the link.

FAQs about Growing Potatoes

πŸ₯”Before I buy Seed Potatoes I need to know...

We have an entire page to help you! Which Potato Should I Grow?Β Whether you chose by colour, crop type or by a name that takes your fancy, we can help you decide!

We also have our top recommendations for beginners

Certified seed potato production focuses on diseases that are spread in the seed including a range of virus and bacterial diseases so we use land that is tested free of certain pests and has not grown potatoes for usually 8-12 years. We use only the highest quality planting stock, and we grow in areas where there is less pressure from pests and diseases.

You really should only use certified seed potatoes. Potatoes sprouting at the back of cupboards can carry diseases that have been eradicated from UK by hard working farmers. Many people use shop bought seeds and are fine – it’s a bit like wearing a cycle helmet – nothing to worry about until you fall off. Many diseases are put down to blight or frost damage as usually gardeners can’t recognise other diseases. Some diseases like ring rot are notifiable – do you know who to inform? If the disease spreads to a commercial crop it can decimate an entire crop.The diseases only show in the growing season and so are fine to eat when bought – it’s when you plant them that the problems can start.

  • Yields can be lower as the crops can be sprayed with anti growth.
  • Also you are stuck with the bland tasting supermarket varieties!Β  We have lots of rare varieties for you to experiment with colour and taste.
  • All our potatoes are certified seed and we are proud to be members of Safe Haven. We are inspected throughout the season and this is our guarantee to you of top quality potatoes free of some diseases. This and all our other certificates can be seen here
  • Please note that blight, slugs and other problems can still occur with certified potatoes and are not covered.

Measure the area you are going to plant and you will need roughly 4 per square meter.Β Β  If you are planting in a pot, make sure the pot is deep enough.Β  Ideally, it should be a minimum of 30cm.Β 

The vast majority of our seed potatoes will come in the following net sizes:

  • 6 Tuber
  • 1 kg
  • 10 kg
  • 25 kg

However, there are some varieties that will come in 5 tuber nets and also some that we will not sell in 25kg nets.Β  We grow small quantities of lots of varieties to be able to offer to gardeners and allotment growers.Β  Unfortunately this will mean that quantities are limited and so we are unable to sell in 25 kg bags.Β  We are sorry for any disappointment this will cause.Β 

We also have Patio / variety Packs with 3 tubers of different varieties.Β  These are available with or without growing bags giving you an ideal way to try out several varieties.Β  We have grouped these into our most popular varieties such as the Heritage pack and a fun Children’s pack with experiments.Β  We will be adding to this range.

  • There is an average of 12-14 tubers in a 1kg net. But this can vary depending on variety and the harvest.
  • The number could be as low as 8 or as high as 16.
  • Our 1kg nets are 1kg, and can have variation in size of the tubers within that net.Β  We could supply only the mid sized tubers – but then what would we do with the larger and smaller ones – if they could not be sold we would need to charge double for the medium ones and this would generate huge waste.Β  Our netting machine picks the potatoes to get the weight right.Β 
  • If the number is important, please order a 6 tuber net. However, there will still be the same variation in sizes.
  • See next tab as well – Size of Tuber

We abide by the rules set in The Seed Potatoes (Scotland) Regulations 2015

There are huge variations in size within a net – this is normal. Seed Potatoes are a natural product. These pictures are representative of the nets we sell.Β 

Tuber size and appearance.

The size will vary depending on the variety and the overall harvest the previous year.

size of seed potatoes
Chitting different sizes
How to chit potatoes

πŸ₯”Seed Potatoes are generally much smaller than the eating equivalent.Β  Unless otherwise stated, we sell our potatoes as 35mm-55mm which is the industry standard across the UK. The legal limit for UK seed potatoes is 25mm.
πŸ₯”This does not mean that the tuber is 35mmx55mm This means that when the potato is graded, it will fall through a 55mm square, but not through a 35mm square.
πŸ₯”
Our 3-tuber and 6-tuber nets of potatoes are packed by number, not weight and there can be a variation on the size of the tubers in each net.
πŸ₯”Our 1kg nets are 1kg, but can also have variation in size of the tubers within that net. There is an average of 12-14 tubers in a 1kg net. But this can vary depending on variety and the harvest.Β  The number could be as low as 8 or as high as 16.Β  Our netting machine picks the potatoes to get the weight right.Β Β 
πŸ₯”We could supply only the mid sized tubers – but then if the larger and smaller could not be sold we would need to charge double for the medium ones and this would generate huge waste.Β Β  This is especially true of our rare varieties.
πŸ₯”Pictures show the variation in size.Β  The bottom two are from delighted customers who uploaded these to our Facebook reviews. Every tuber here produced a great yield.
πŸ₯”Customers’ expectations of what size a seed potato should be can be very different. Some customer like large potatoes to cut and others like the smallest possible tubers.Β  We have 90 different varieties in 4 different net sizes and do not do any further grading due to the work involved and the storage space in our store.Β Β  If we did do further grading, the price would go up for all our customers.

We have a few award-winning bloggers working with us, who take pics of their chitting potatoes and the different sizes.Β  Rob Smith is a writer for many gardening magazines, and his pictures on his facebook page clearly show different sizes of potatoes from the same net.Β 

πŸ₯” Last year and this year we are trialling selling much smaller potatoes and these will be very clearly marked and sold in 450g nets to avoid confusion. We are offering these to you as a trial – by having a market for these potatoes which are smaller than our usual and being able to sell at a reduced price means that we can keep our prices low overall. These will be offered, if available when we have sold out of our standard potatoes. They are still within the size limits allowed to be sold as seed potatoes (25mm min shortest edge) and will give a good crop. There are around 12 in a 450g bag and we would suggest planting two of these as one. The 450g nets are included in the 6 tuber net and 1kg bulk deals. Your feedback is most welcome whether you buy or not, please let us know.

πŸ₯”The expectation that a seed potato will be 100% perfect is not what reality is, although this expectation will be met 75% of the time.

The pictures on our web are of tubers that have been freshly harvested and washed. This is to show what they will look like when you harvest and wash your potatoes. When your seed potatoes arrive, they will be dirty, some bright colours may have faded, and they may have some mechanical scuff marks and scab. These are within the permitted levels to be sold. See FAQ for more details.

We abide by the rules set in The Seed Potatoes (Scotland) Regulations 2015

  • Quite simply it is the length of time taken for the plant to mature and give a good harvest. If you planted a tuber of each cropping type on the same day, the earlies would be ready first.
  • Early potatoes are what we think of when new potatoes are mentioned – harvest cooked and eaten within a few hours for that magical new potato taste. New potatoes are often quite expensive in shops and so many gardeners like to grow these. They take 10-12 weeks to mature and are usually harvested before blight sets in. These potatoes do not store for too long. Can be planted up until the end of June.
  • Second Earlies take slightly longer at around 14-16 weeks to mature.
  • Early Main Crop and Main Crop (sometimes lumped together) take around 20-25 weeks respectively to mature and these varieties are the ones that will store for much longer. Main crops can be planted till around the middle of May depending on where you are in the UK.
  • There is so much variation in the weather throughout the UK it is hard to give definitive dates as to when to plant. The idea is to have the last frost in your area to be finished before the plant comes through.
  • There is obviously some overlap in these broad definitions and other factors such as chitting, soil, weather, location in the garden as well as personal preference to be taken into account. Most people will either stagger planting or plant different crop types to ensure a long supply of homegrown potatoes.
  • Recently a 5th crop type has been talked about – the Late Season for Christmas Market. These potatoes can be any crop type and are grown accordingly.Β  We have a range available from June each year.

The vast majority of our tubers will arrive with our customers in perfect condition.

πŸ₯”The expectation that a seed potato will be 100% perfect is not what reality is, although this expectation will be met 75% of the time.Β 

Seed Potatoes are not as visually appealing as potatoes you buy to eat.Β  They will be dirty and may have small amounts of scab and mechanical damage that are within permitted levels for seed potatoes.Β Β  THIS IS ESPECIALLY TRUE IF YOU BUY ORGANIC OR HERITAGE VARIETIES.Β  If a crop passes inspection it does not mean that it is blemish / scab free, however are still in perfect condition.Β  We specialise in rare and Heritage varieties and in some cases scab may be present.Β  We address this issue publicly.

Don’t worry if some of the seed potatoes you buy have a bit of scab on them. Scab is legally permitted in seed potatoes in the UK, as it does not pass to the following generation.” Which? Gardening Helpdesk

“Legislation controls the amount of infection allowed in seed, but low levels are permitted” Royal Horticultural Society

Β 

SCAB

Certified seed potato production focuses on diseases that are spread in the seed including a range of virus and bacterial diseases so we use land that is tested free of certain pests and has not grown potatoes for usually 8-12 years. We use only the highest quality planting stock, and we grow in areas where there is less pressure from pests and diseases. Common Scab at low levels is principally a cosmetic issue and does not affect the ability of the seed to produce a good crop. For this reason, the UK and EU tolerances permit the tubers to have up to 33.3% of surface area affected with common scab (at inspection of 600 tubers there must not be more than 1.5% of tubers with more than 33.3% coverage).

At Potato House we are committed to keeping as many heritage and speciality potato varieties alive and available to gardeners and allotment growers. Many of these rare varieties are grown only on a small scale in one field on our own farm or by another farmer.

If we only supplied seed stocks of the heritage and speciality varieties that are 100% visually perfect, we would need to dispose of a high percentage of our harvest every year, prices would rocket and then it would no longer be viable to supply many of these varieties since they are grown solely for the garden market.Β 

Common Scab will not pass to your soil, to the crop you are growing or other tubers in contact with the affected tuber.Β  Common Scab comes about in certain soil types (usually free draining sandy types that are otherwise good for growing seed potatoes), and in certain weather conditions (dry soil at tuber initiation c4 weeks after emergence, so you can, and many farmers do irrigate these soils at that time to ensure a perfect skin appearance but in general drier conditions are better to ensure healthy seed crops so we do not irrigate to control scab). We could go for the easy life and stick with varieties that are grown on large scale or which have high resistance to scab – but that is not what we are about!

We do occasionally have crops that are so badly affected by scab that we do withdraw them from sale.

Please see the pictures on our facebook reviews from delighted customers showing slight blemishes.Β  Rare mistakes do happen during packing though, and If you feel your tubers do not meet the regulations and you are not satisfied, please contact us with pictures.

We abide by the rules set in The Seed Potatoes (Scotland) Regulations 2015.

We have an interesting experiment chitting and planting Potatoes with Scab on our blog.

Scab on Seed Potatoes is not a problem

  • We looked at packaging over summer 2020 and for our small nets (1kg, and 6 tuber) these are in plastic nets like you would get in a supermarket with fruit. Unfortunately, there are no degradable options that are robust enough for our machines. The labels are also not degradable – again looking like super market labels. There is no cost effective, reliable label recyclable or degradable that will withstand the printing process.Β  Our labels require information by law, and so we need something reliable that lasts from printing, through storage and dispatch until it arrives with our customers.Β  Unfortunately, paper/card labels don’t last and can come off or be damaged easily.
  • Our smaller parcels are then sent in plastic postage sacks.
  • If your order is larger, all our 25kg paper bags are fully recycled and recyclable, including the string used. All our Hessian sacks are also recyclable. If your order is around 3kg+ we put all the nets you have ordered into one of our 10kg bags and trim it down.
  • This is something we are actively looking at and will update our customers if we find anything suitable. Recommendations on where to source alternatives are welcome.
  • Hopefully in 2023 we will be able to supply potato days again – we help with many potato days throughout the country and supply in large sacks for the organiser to sell by the tuber.

Here at Potato House, we net and bag up most of our seed potatoes.Β Β  If a variety is out of stock this could be temporary or indeed we could well be out of stock for the season.Β  There could be a delay from our store to the web as we communicate this information.Β Β 

We have four different stock message labels on our seed potatoes.Β  These will vary as the season progresses.Β 

If a product hasΒ COMING SOONΒ it means we are still assessing quality/quantity from our harvest, or that we are in the process of buying this variety from our trusted growers.Β  We are 99% sure that this variety will be for sale before Christmas, but it isn’t listed until we know that it has passed all relevant inspections.

If a product hasΒ DELAY TO REBAG on it, it means that we need to check stock and re-bag if we still have some left.Β  This is not a guarantee that we do have more in stock.Β  We have to check. In some circumstances a variety can go back on for sale – it will depend on the final bagging up for customers over the next few weeks. If you go on the stock alert you will be notified either later in this season, or for next season.Β 

If a product hasΒ SOLD OUT, it really does mean sold out. Please go on the stock alert for the following year and we will let you know when we have it for sale again.

If a product hasΒ UNAVAILABLE it means that we have had this variety in recent years but are not able to supply it for this season.Β  We simply do not have the room to grow every variety each year and so if you are looking for a variety that you bought from us before and we now don’t stock it, we may grow it again in the future.Β  We also have been affected by Brexit as we are now prohibited to sell seed Potatoes to EU AND NI.Β  We sold 40% of our harvest to EU and some varieties are sadly now unviable without this market.Β  Occasionally there is a crop failure.Β Β 

If a PACK SIZE has sold out (eg there are 6 tuber nets available, but no 1 kg nets) this will be getting rebagged, if we have more of that variety left.

Potato House grows around 90 varieties and some are in small quantities and sell out quickly.Β  We leave these products on our web and if you are looking for a particular variety, we invite you toΒ sign up for the stock alert found on each variety or to join our mailing list.Β  When we harvest in the autumn and know quantities we then will open our web up for pre-orders and let our mailing list know about this.Β 

Some varieties are grown to order for customers and we will have most of the crop sold but will perhaps have some available once we do the final bagging for our customers therefore new varieties may sometimes appear mid-season.

This is a very recent addition for describing potato growing. Andrew’s family have been growing potatoes for generations and do not use this terminology. This information is anecdotal and we do not know of anywhere that has this information that is reliable for us to use. The industry-accepted terminology such as “first early” are all documented in the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board AHDB site https://varieties.ahdb.org.uk/ and this is where we get all our information regarding disease resistance etc.

Determinate varieties produce a certain number of tubers then stop producing more. Indeterminate varieties will go on producing tubers so there is more likely a range of large and small tubers at harvest.

Until we find information that is reliable you can not search by this term on our site.Β 

πŸ₯”What are the payment, delivery and returns terms?

We have discounts that are applied automatically at check out and apply when one order is placedΒ  – discounts can’t be split over two orders:

  • Any combination of any variety of 6 Tuber nets, 1kg nets and grow bags – Β£1 per net discount if you order 5-9 nets in total. Β£2 discount per net if you order 10+ nets in total.
  • 25kg bags of any variety – We have discounts built into the website for small commercial orders.Β  If you are purchasing this quantity for the first time, we would love to chat to you about your plans.
    5-9 sacks of any variety
    Β Β£5 discount per sack of any combination of varieties
    10-14 sacks of any varietyΒ Β£20 discount per sack.
    15-19 sacks of any varietyΒ Β£23 discount per sack.
    20-29 sacks of any varietyΒ Β£24 discount per sack.
    30-39 sacks of any variety Β£25 discount per sack
    40+ sacks of any varietyΒ Β£26 discount per sack.
  • Please contact us at for more info. If you are looking for our prices for 1T or 1.25T bags of the same variety for commercial planting, please call us.

We can also bulk supply 1kg or 6 tuber nets for shops. Please email and we will help you with quantities and varieties and put together a special deal for you.

Organising a Potato Day or looking to do a group purchase?

We supply many Potato Days and allotments throughout the country. **Thanks to saving in packaging and delivery costs we can offer significant savings for 6 tuber and 1kg nets.**

Let us know how we can help your potato day or allotment group – pass to the relevant person.

If you want a specific week, let us know at checkout box. We recommend that you get your potatoes in plenty of time to chit. If you plan to plant in March, we would suggest delivery in late January/February to give 4-6 weeks chitting, if you plan to plant in April, a late February/March date would suit.

You need to work out the last frost date for your area and work backwards from there.Β  We generally say later is fine!Β  A lot of folk are caught out with late frosts in April and May – the young plant is susceptible to frost.Β Β  However it really depends on where you live and personal preference – if you can keep the plants frost free by bringing them indoors or wrapping with fleece/old sheet etc.Β  We have customers in Cornwall who are harvesting just as our customers in Northern Scotland are planting!

Mid-Feb till Mid-March is around average to start chitting and gives you 4-6 weeks to chit and then plant in late March /April if the forecast is looking good!Β  However, delaying by a week or two would do no harm.Β 

OVER 98% success rate last year! Many customers enjoy this free delayed delivery service, especially for our rarer varieties. Tubers will arrive with you in perfect condition as they have been in cold storage until they are sent to you.

You can pay by the following methods:

  • PAYPAL / CREDIT CARD. These are our preferred payment methods, you do NOT need to have a PayPal account and can still pay via credit card. This payment is instant and it automatically puts your order to processing. This is secure for both customer and supplier. We do not get your credit card details.
  • We can accept orders over the phone via credit card.
  • BACS: This is not automatic, and we have to manually check our account which may not be done each day. Your order will not begin to be processed until we confirm that your money is in our account.
  • CHEQUE: Please be aware that payment by cheque is a very slow process. After it has been in the post to us cheques are only processed once a week as we do not work near a bank. It then needs to clear which can take 2 days. Only when we have checked that the money has cleared in our account can the order begin to be processed.

Once your money is confirmed in our account, we aim to dispatch within 3 days

In a word: no.Β  Or rather we could, but our system does not allow this easily.Β  We can’t do a partial dispatch, or attach a payment to another order automatically and so everything has to be entered manually with copy and paste.Β  There is scope for human error (variety, amount, what gets dispatched when) and I’m sure most customers will appreciate that the work involved in this for us is huge.Β 

If you require two seperate deliveries, please do seperate orders.Β  Discounts apply for one order as we make savings on postage which we pass on to our customers.Β  The bulk buy discount can’t be split over several orders.

  • We aim to dispatch within 3 days and then delivery will take 3-4 days.Β  You will get an auto dispatch email when we have completed your order.
  • If you want a specific week, let us know in the information box and we will do our best to send it out then.Β  We had over 98% success rate for 2022.
  • Most varieties are available between December and May.
  • To ensure your order arrives in the best possible condition, deliveries will be made as soon as all the varieties on your order are available, using an appropriate courier or postal service.
  • All products ordered will be sent together under the one delivery charge. If you require us to split the delivery please put in another order – it is not easy to split an order from our end.
  • Let us know of a safe place, preferably under cover, in which your parcel can be left in the event of no one being home when the delivery is attempted.
  • If you choose to pay by BACS or cheque we will not begin to process your order until your payment has been received and cleared.
  • During times of frost or low temperatures deliveries will be held back until more favourable conditions prevail.
  • Some deliveries may be delayed if we have to re- stock certain varieties, we will try to keep you informed of any delays.
  • Although the vast majority of orders get to customers in 3-4 days, unfortunately, there can be delays and we ask that you wait for a week before contacting us.Β  If you have not received your order after a week from dispatch, please check out-buildings prior to contacting us, as the couriers are sometimes not leaving cards.

We had a 98% success rate for our popular FREE delayed delivery service last year. Potatoes arrive in perfect condition when you want them as they have been kept in cold storage.

We will dispatch Seed Potatoes and accessories on a week to suit you in the Spring at no extra charge.

Prices include UK delivery with very few exceptions.

Orders will be dispatched within 4 days then will take 4-5 days to get to you. But this can be longer especially if we have any industrial action.

If you want a specific week, let us know at checkout box. We recommend that you get your potatoes in plenty of time to chit. If you plan to plant in March, we would suggest delivery in late January/February to give 4-6 weeks chitting, if you plan to plant in April, a late February/March date would suit.Β OVER 98% success rate last year!

Do not ask for delivery too earlyΒ  4-6 weeks before planting is best.

After delivery it is YOUR responsibility to store the seed potatoes in the correct manner.Β Β  We have aΒ FREE DELAYED DELIVERYΒ service for our customers andΒ STRONGLY recommend that you if you do not have the correct conditions to store the seed potatoes it would be better to ask for delivery 4-6 weeks before you intend to plant.Β  Seed Potatoes are a natural product and will deteriorate if not stored correctly.

For the vast majority of orders, we do not charge a surcharge for Scottish Highlands and Islands and other remote areas.Β  However, we reserve the right to contact you if we can’t get a viable rate. Unfortunately, for large or extremely remote orders, it is likely that we will need to pass on some haulage charge.Β  Please see FAQ for full details

For Isle of Man and the Channel Islands please see FAQ for details.

If you wish to pick up we offer a 15% discount.Β  By default, this option will only appear for local postcodes.Β  If yours doesn’t appear, use our postcode DD3 0QN in the β€œDeliver to Address”.Β  You need to select local pick up and also put code Pickup in the coupon box.Β  Also to help us, put β€œpick up” in the β€œdeliver to address”.Β  Note that your order may still take a day or two to organise and we will contact you when your order is ready. We operate on a working farm with machinery, vehicles and livestock and so please keep children and pets inside your car when picking up. This is only available for orders up to Β£50 – if you wish to pick up a larger order, please contact us prior to ordering.

Free Uk Delivery of Seed Potatoes

Β If we get a parcel returned to us due to wrong details we will charge you postage to re-send.Β  Please check the details on your confirmation note and inform us immediately of any mistakes.Β  Small typos are easy to do!

All products ordered will be sent together in the same delivery. If you require us to split the delivery YOU MUST do two orders. Bulk discounts are only available for the same order.Β  A mixed order for Seed Potatoes and Potatoes to Eat is welcome as long as they are to be dispatched immediately.

During times of frost or low temperatures deliveries will be held back until more favourable conditions prevail and we will inform customers of any delays over social media and on our website. Some deliveries may be delayed if we have to re- stock our nets.

See our FAQ page for more information on payment, discounts and delivery dates and our Terms and Conditions regarding refunds

  • Yes, we deliver here. We have a surcharge of Β£5 for postal /courier rates.
  • For larger orders, please put your address in and then put payment by cheque – this allows the order to come through without payment. Once we establish the delivery costs, we will issue you with an invoice to be paid in your preferred manner.Β  For larger orders, we can deliver to the quay on the mainland for you to arrange transport or we can get a quote for you.
  • Please note that we reserve the right to contact you if we cannot get a good rate for delivery regardless of the weight of your order.Β 

We live and work rurally and dislike all surcharges to certain postcodes that we are subject to as customers. As such we are committed to delivering your order at no extra cost.

  • For orders under 2kg we use Royal Mail and so no surcharges are applicable.
  • For orders 2kg – 10kg, we shop around to find the best courier service for each order to Highlands and Islands. We are conscious of the higher costs of living rurally and so we look after every order personally. Please help us by combining deliveries with neighbours wherever possible to offset our higher courier charges. Perhaps you could organise a potato growing club in your community?
  • Unfortunately, for large or extremely remote orders, it is highly likely that we will need to pass on some haulage charge. We reserve the right to contact you if we can’t get a viable rate.

DUE TO BREXIT, WE ARE UNABLE TO SEND TO EU or NI – THIS IS BEYOND OUR CONTROL – PLEASE WRITE TO YOUR MP IF THIS AFFECTS YOU

Our Statement December 2020

We are reluctantly forced to close our online shop to customers in the EU and Northern Ireland. We have grown our business over the last 20 years and viewed all 500 million citizens as our domestic market. Until our government and the EU agree dynamic alignment of seed potato certification and plant health standards we are not permitted to send seed potatoes or table potatoes to the EU or Northern Ireland. Even once a deal is done, and our standards are recognised in the EU, it might still not be possible for us to open the shop again – the paperwork required to accompany orders and the tariffs might be prohibitive.

We would like to thank our loyal EU and Northern Ireland customers large and small for your custom and words of support recently, it really does mean a lot to us.

From our family firm,
Potato House

No sorry, due to import laws from other countries, we do not deliver to USA, Canada or anywhere.Β 

  • Contact us as soon as possible! Whether you have changed your mind on variety, amount or indeed whether you wish to cancel the order, we can help if we catch the order prior to dispatch.
  • If the order has been dispatched and you wish to order more, please place another order.
  • If the order has been dispatched and you wish to change variety or amount, or wish to cancel, you will be liable for returning the unwanted goods to us in an unused condition in a timely manner. Only once goods are returned to us and checked will we be able to issue any refund MINUS OUR POSTAL COSTS.
  • Please see our Terms for further details.

We at Potato House pride ourselves on the quality of our seed potatoes and service to all customers.

  • We are a small family business and aim to get every order right.Β  However, as we are dealing with fresh produce and delivery, an order can occasionally go wrong.Β  If this happens, Amy or Andrew Skea (owners and directors) will personally deal with your complaint.Β  We believe in great customer service and are delighted to have orders of 6 tubers alongside our larger orders.
  • Please check the quality of your order as soon as it arrives. Orders are sent out normally on 48 hour deliveries your seed should be in perfect condition as they are visually checked prior to dispatch. If there is any defect or quality problem with the seed on arrival you must inform us by email or in writing within 7 days of delivery. Pictures should be included.
  • As our potatoes are fresh produce, we cannot accept responsibility for any deterioration of the seed after that time unless under special circumstances. If there is a valid reason for complaint, we will either replace or refund part or all your order, whichever you prefer. We may require you to return the original order – postage will be refunded if the quality is sub-standard.
  • Please note that seed potatoes are permitted to have certain levels of scab and mechanical damage – See Scab tab higher up on this page.
  • We abide by the rules set in The Seed Potatoes (Scotland) Regulations 2015
  • Please see our Terms for further details.

After delivery it is your responsibility to store the seed in the correct manner. Any deterioration of your seed after the initial complaints period of 7 days will be at your own risk.

We have a FREE DELAYED DELIVERY service for our customers and STRONGLY recommend that you if you do not have the correct conditions to store the seed it would be better to ask for delivery 4-6 weeks before you intend to plant. If you want to chit your potato seed then January or February would be a good time for delivery if you live in the South of England, whereas March/April would be better if you live further north.

Please see our Terms and Conditions for further information.


πŸ₯”How do I chit, plant, grow and harvest my potatoes? What problems will I have?

Potato House chitting

  • Chitting is simply waking the seed potato up after its winter dormancy ready to grow.Β 
  • It is definitely a good idea to chit, but to do this you need to get your seed nice and early – maybe January or February if you are in the South of England and March or April if you are in North of Scotland. The aim is to have your potatoes come through the ground after the last frost in your area as the new plant is susceptible to frost.
  • Chitted seed will be ready to grow much quicker once Spring arrives and the soil warms up. Chitted seed should come through the ground in about 2 weeks, whereas unchitted would be around 3-4 weeks.
  • If you buy your seed in April or May, however, then there is little or no advantage in chitting since the soil temperature will be ok for planting, though the unchitted seed will take 3-4 weeks to come through the ground.
  • You may not think the benefit is worth is, but it is worth remembering that a couple of weeks in the summer might mean that you hit blight season if you have planted tubers without that head start.Β  There is no right or wrong way though, and it depends on where you live and personal preference.
  • Remove the seed potatoes from the net as soon as you receive them (as the shoots will grow through the nets and can break if you try to remove them) and put them in an egg carton in a sunny window sill (make sure it is frost and vermin free if you are doing this in a greenhouse or shed). The shoots will start to sprout and when they are around an inch long they will be ready to plant.Β  If they haven’t been in the light, the shoots will grow long and spindly as they use energy to find the light.Β 

We have a great video on How to Chit potatoes

There is nothing worse than looking at a potato every day that appears not to be sprouting.  

Potatoes go through a period of natural dormancy after harvest and are only beginning to waken up in the spring. It depends on the variety – some are “asleep” longer than others. Chitting wakes them up however, even if you have had your potatoes chitting since the start of January the natural cycle can only be altered slightly.  

Just as the end product looks different, they will have different coloured flowers and be of different heights. The shoots will be different colours and will emerge at different times.

The database where we get all our information regarding disease information is the official Agriculture and Horticulture web, they are beginning to list dormancy, but this information is anecdotal and not complete, which is why we don’t include it.

Keep them on a sunny window sill and you will see growth soon πŸ™‚ It may be just that the sun isn’t strong enough yet to stimulate growth.  Be patient – spring is coming!

If you really think that your seed potatoes are not growing after a month of chitting, please send us some pics. 

When to plant is a multi-million £££ question!

This is a jigsaw and depends on where you are!Β  You need to work out the last frost date for your area and work backwards from there.Β  We generally say later is fine!Β  a lot of folk are caught out with late frosts in April and May – the young plant is susceptible to frost.Β Β  However it really depends on where you live and personal preference – if you can keep the plants frost free by bringing them indoors or wrapping with fleece/old sheet etc.Β  We have customers in Cornwall who are harvesting just as our customers in Northern Scotland are planting!

Mid-Feb till Mid-March is around average to start chitting a
nd gives you 4-6 weeks to chit and then plant in late March /April if the forecast is looking good!Β  However, delaying by a week or two would do no harm.Β Β Β 

Earlies take around 100 days to mature and can be planted up until the end of June.

Main crop take around 4-5 months to mature and can be planted up till around mid May.Β 

Again there are several trains of thought on when to plant. Some people will want to plant earlies in Mar/April to get a summer crop and then to plant their main crop later so they are maturing by the end of the summer.Β  Some will stagger planting, and plant some each week, and others will plant their potatoes of all maturities on the same day.Β  You need to work out what works best for you and it is advisable to keep a diary.

Late season varieties for a Christmas Harvest should be planted by mid August.Β 

  • You can plant potatoes up until June and even later if you have some late season ones. See our page how to choose for a description of the different crop types.

  • There is a common myth that you can cut the tuber up to give a better yield. We do not advise this. Tubers have enough stored energy to get to the surface and produce a healthy crop. By cutting them you are risking the tuber going mouldy, as it has no skin to protect it, and lower yields.

  • Potatoes like to be watered but not water-logged and so ensure your pot or area has good drainage.

  • Potatoes need a sunny site away from frost pockets – the newly emerging foliage is susceptible to frost damage in April and May. The ground can be prepared the previous autumn or winter by digging in organic matter such as well-rotted animal manure or compost. Do not use an area that has had potatoes or tomatoes in it the previous year as some diseases can remain in the soil.

  • The traditional planting method is to dig a narrow trench 12cm (5in) deep. The seed tubers are spaced 30cm (12in) apart for earlies and 37cm (15in) for maincrop varieties in rows 24in (60cm) apart for earlies and 75cm (30in) apart for maincrop. Apply a general purpose fertiliser at this stage.

  • When the emerging shoots come through, you need to “earth” or “mound” them up – this is counter intuitive. Do this several times. This encourages downward growth.

    Mounding or earthing up means drawing up soil around the stems as they grow – to protect shoots from frost damage in late spring and more importantly, new tubers are jostling for space and this gives them more room ensuring the developing potatoes aren’t exposed to light, which turns them green and inedible.

    It’s a simple process – once the shoots are about 23cm (9in) tall, mound soil up around them to form a ridge along the row, leaving just the top 10cm (4in) of the plants visible. As the stems grow taller, repeat the process several times, a few weeks apart. The final height of the ridge should be 20–30cm (8–12in).Β  Some people advocate covering the entire plant – you could experiment to see which works best for you.

    Small crops of potatoes can also be grown in large, deep containers, and this is a good way of getting an early batch of new potatoes. Fill the bottom 15cm (6in) of the container with potting compost and plant the seed potato just below this. As the new stems start growing, keep adding compost until the container is full.Grow bags with handles

Potatoes usually take 3-4 weeks to come through the soil and this can depend on many factors such as variety, whether they were chitted, depth they were planted, soil and weather conditions. Tubers can also be eaten by pests underground and dug up by domestic pets or wildlife.

Individual variations can be expected even if they have been stored in the same manner, as potatoes are a natural product. If, say, two have grown they are perhaps faster than average, rather than four being slow (or not growing).Β Β  The variations between varieties can also be explained by this as some varieties have a longer natural domancy period than others.Β 

The others should catch up in a week or so and give a great harvest (beasties, weather and blight permitting!) Keep us updated and certainly send some pics if you are still concerned in ten days or so after the first ones come through.

Each variety has a different flower, but in some years they are absent or only appear briefly.Β  This is down to lots of different factors such as weather and soil.Β  Some varieties hardly flower even in optimum conditions.Β  Potatoes are almost unique in that they do not need a flower to germinate in order to produce the next generation, the new tubers grow underground and are true to the parent.Β  They may differ in size and colour, but the DNA of the new tubers will be true to the parent.Β  No flower does not mean a failed crop.

After flowering, some plants will produce a seed pod which looks like a tomato. If planted, they could grow to be a potato, but the seedlings will not grow true to the parent – it will depend on what it was pollinated with – it will take 5 years and a lot of luck for something to produce new tubers – and even then they might not taste good. Just compost them. If you have curious toddlers around, it might be an idea to remove the pod in case they try to eat them . They are not poisonous to the touch. Breeders are the only people who need these and wouldn’t touch the ones on random plants. They have them pollinated in controlled environments so they know what has been x with what. We are breeding new potato varieties and you can read about it in our story page.

Blight loves warm, humid weather

Blight! The curse of any gardener and allotmenteer!

Sign up for Blight Watch

According toΒ The Royal Horticultural SocietyΒ RHS, Potato and tomato blight, also known as late blight, attacks the foliage and fruit or tubers of tomatoes and potatoes, causing rotting. It is most common in wet weather. Β Blight is a disease caused by a fungus-like organismΒ that spreads rapidly in the foliage and tubers or fruit of potatoes and tomatoes in wet weather, causing collapse and decay. Blight caused the Irish potato famine and as the word ‘famine’ suggests, blight can be devastating if not managed and dealt with quickly. In as little as 10 days, Blight can destroy your entire crop of potatoes,

The best way to avoid blight is to plant earlies as they will hopefully mature before blight arrives, or to grow blight resistant potatoes. Blight resistant potatoes are most definitely a thing and we use independent results when we state that some varieties are blight resistant. The picture from trial plots shows different varietes.Β  Read more here.

A good start can help you to prevent blight in your potatoes. Choose an airy plot with a good amount of space between your potato plants. Rotating crops is also important, so don’t plant this year’s potatoes in the same place as last year’s.

In addition to good placement, as soon as blight forms it is important to remove and burn infected plants to prevent further spread. Please do not place infected plants in a compost bin or heap as Blight can and will travel!

What causes blight?

Blight loves warm, humid weather. the right mix of warmth and damp provides ideal breeding conditions for Blight to thrive. Late summer is usually the time when Blight becomes a real nuisance, however Blight can strike as early as May or June, in the UK,Β  if the conditions are right.Β 

Will a greenhouse protect my potatoes from blight?

The short answer is No. Whilst a greenhouse can offer some protection Blight really can and will get everywhere, so it is important to be just as vigilant for potato blight with potatoes grown inside as well as out. which is why Blightwatch provides you with daily alerts as to when Blight is likely to strike, meaning you can check your crop and deal with any infection.

Sign up for BLIGHT WATCH – The Blightwatch service is available to all users free of charge and you can register for the service by using the β€˜Join Blightwatch’ section on the homepage by providing a name, email address and up to 10 postcode regions that you would like to receive alerts for.

If you suspect your plants have blight, take some pics and email to us or put on our social media and we will help you to ascertain whether you have blight.Β  Blight in the leaves does not necessarily mean that you have blight in the tubers.Β 

Please note that buying certified seed potatoes does not reduce the chances of getting blight.Β  Also buying blight resistant potatoes does not mean that you won’t get blight – the chances are reduced.

With earlies, wait until the flowers open or the buds drop; the tubers are ready to harvest when they are the size of hens’ eggs. With maincrops for storage wait until the foliage turns yellow, then cut it and remove it. Leave for 10 days before harvesting the tubers – this allows the skin to set, leaving them to dry for a few hours before storing.

Potatoes with scab may look awful, but it is perfectly safe to eat – you may want to peel them first.

Common Scab will not pass to your soil, to the crop you are growing or other tubers in contact with the affected tuber.Β  Common Scab comes about in certain soil types (usually free draining sandy types that are otherwise good for growing seed potatoes), and in certain weather conditions (dry soil at tuber initiation c4 weeks after emergence, so you can, and many farmers do irrigate these soils at that time to ensure a perfect skin appearance.

Please see our article about scab which goes into this in more detail.

The advice on the RHS site on how to avoid and identify scab is a fantastic resource. They recommend choosing varieties that are scab resistant and we have several of their recommendations. Remember that no variety will have 100% resistance. It is also worth asking neighbours or fellow allotment growers at your plot for their recommendations as anecdotal evidence may carry weight locally.Β 

Scab Resistant Potatoes



During harvest 2022 we were sent quite a few pictures like this from customers.Β 

This is caused by dry soil, followed by some rain and a rapid growth spurt making the skin split.Β  2022 certainly threw everthing at us, with late frosts, heat waves, torrential downpours and hail stones in August.Β 

Potatoes like to be kept evenly watered during the growing period.Β  Watering late at night or early in the morning helps to stop evaporation.Β 

These potatoes are perfectly fine to eat and do not need to be peeled prior to cooking.Β  It does not affect the flavour in any way.Β 

Early Potatoes do not store long and so should be eaten within a few days of harvest.

Once you have chopped the leaves down from the Main Crop, you can leave in the soil for a week to 10 days.Β  This allows the skins to set.Β  Do not wash them at this time as the soil will help to keep them in great condition.Β  These will store for a few months in a cool (not freezing) dark place, such as in a shed, under the stair or utility room.Β  Storing them in a paper or hessian bag allows them still to breath – a plastic container would not allow airflow and they could go mouldy.Β  A cardboard box is also ideal.

We’re glad that you got a good harvest, you can now enjoy your hard work.Β  Home-grown-potatoes have a double edged sword – they taste absolutely great but, they can go to mush when boiled.Β  This is due to the fact that they are so fresh!Β  Quite simply the skins have not yet set. Β You could leave them in the ground for longer and this can help the skin set.

Try steaming or roasting these new potatoes as boiling can be tricky.Β  Bashed slightly, drizzled with oil, garlic and herbs is a delicious way to eat these.Β 

Please also see our story to give you some background information about our company and the varieties we chose to grow for you. Our certificates are located on this page as well. If you can’t find an answer, please contact us we will do our best to help.

On our news page we have articles and videos on how and when to plant potatoes.

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Potato House. Home of Quality Seed Potatoes.

Grown and dispatched directly from our farm*

*Each year, a few varieties are sourced from other local growers to complete our range. This is noted on a tab on the variety page.



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