Seed Potato 'Nicola'

Chitting Your Seed Potatoes

Before planting, stand your seed potatoes in an egg box or shallow tray with the end showing the most eyes (the rose end) facing upwards. Keep them somewhere cool, bright and frost-free, away from direct sunlight. A temperature of around 7–10°C is ideal.

Allow short, sturdy shoots to develop, ideally around 2.5cm long. Avoid warm, dark conditions, which encourage long, weak shoots. Chitting is particularly useful for second early potatoes, helping them get off to an earlier start.

Where to Plant

Choose a sunny position with fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained soil. Where possible, prepare the ground during autumn or winter by incorporating well-rotted compost or manure. Improve heavy or sandy soil before planting and avoid growing potatoes in the same spot year after year.

Planting Your Potatoes

Plant from late March to April, once the soil has started to warm and is not waterlogged. In colder areas, wait until April. Make a trench around 10–15cm deep and place the seed potatoes 30cm apart, with the shoots facing upwards. Leave 60cm between rows, then cover with soil.

Earthing Up

When the shoots reach around 15–20cm tall, draw soil up around the stems, leaving the upper leaves exposed. Repeat as the plants grow. This helps protect young shoots from frost and prevents developing potatoes from being exposed to light, which can turn them green.

Watering and Feeding

Water during dry spells, particularly as the tubers begin to develop. Keep the soil evenly moist without waterlogging it, as irregular watering can affect tuber quality. Apply a suitable potato fertiliser according to the pack instructions.

Pests and Diseases

'Nicola' has good resistance to common scab and resistance to golden potato cyst nematode (Ro1), but remains susceptible to potato blight. Check the foliage regularly during warm, humid weather and remove blight-affected material promptly. Avoid wetting the leaves unnecessarily when watering.

Choosing a Container

Choose a large pot or potato growing bag with good drainage. A container holding around 30–40 litres is suitable for two seed potatoes. Make sure there are drainage holes in the bottom to prevent waterlogging.

Planting

Add around 15cm of good-quality compost to the bottom of the container. Place the seed potatoes on top, shoots facing upwards, and cover with another 10–15cm of compost. Position somewhere sunny.

Adding Compost as They Grow

As the shoots develop, gradually add more compost around the stems, leaving the upper leaves exposed. Continue until the compost is a few centimetres below the rim of the container.

Watering and Feeding

Container-grown potatoes need regular watering, particularly during warm weather when compost can dry out quickly. Water thoroughly when needed, allowing excess moisture to drain away. Feed with a suitable potato fertiliser, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Harvesting from Containers

As the crop approaches maturity, carefully check whether the tubers have reached a useful size. When they're ready, tip the container onto a sheet or empty the growing bag to collect your potatoes. Handle them gently to avoid damaging the skins.

When to Harvest

As a second early variety, 'Nicola' is generally ready from July into August, depending on planting time and growing conditions. You can start checking for new potatoes once the plants have flowered, although flowering is not a reliable indication of maturity on its own. Gently feel beneath one plant to see whether the tubers are large enough to use.

How to Harvest

Use a garden fork to loosen the soil a little way from the stems, then carefully lift the plant and collect the potatoes. Take care not to pierce or bruise the tubers. For young new potatoes, lift only what you need where possible.

Storing Your Potatoes

Young potatoes with delicate skins are best eaten soon after harvesting. If you want to store some of your crop, allow the tubers to mature fully and their skins to set before lifting. Select healthy, undamaged potatoes and keep them somewhere cool, dark, frost-free and well ventilated. They won't generally store as long as traditional maincrop varieties.

Important Storage Tips

Keep harvested potatoes away from light, which causes greening. Avoid washing them until you're ready to cook them, and check stored tubers regularly for signs of deterioration. Never eat green potatoes or green parts of potatoes.

Boiling

Boil the tubers whole or halved until just tender. Their firm texture means they keep their shape rather than breaking apart, making them easy to serve straight from the pan.

Steaming

Steaming is a lovely way to cook 'Nicola' without losing its delicate texture. Serve alongside fish, chicken or seasonal vegetables for a simple summer meal.

Potato Salads

For a classic summer potato salad, cook until tender, leave to cool slightly and toss with a mustard dressing, mayonnaise or fresh herbs. The smooth skins are thin enough to leave on young potatoes.

Sautéing and Roasting

Slice cooked potatoes and sauté in a little oil or butter until the edges turn golden. Smaller tubers can also be roasted whole or halved, developing lightly crisp skins while keeping a tender centre.

What Are Seed Potatoes?

Seed potatoes are specially grown tubers intended for planting rather than eating. Each contains buds, known as eyes, which develop into shoots and eventually produce a new crop of potatoes.

First Early, Second Early and Maincrop

First early potatoes are generally the quickest to mature and are often harvested from late spring into early summer. Second earlies follow, usually producing their crop during summer. Maincrop potatoes take longer to grow and are generally harvested later, with many varieties suitable for winter storage.

What Size Will My Seed Potatoes Be?

Seed potatoes naturally vary in size and shape, even within the same variety. Modern varieties often produce more uniform tubers, while some heritage varieties can show greater variation.

Smaller seed potatoes can grow just as successfully as larger ones, provided they are healthy and have viable eyes. Larger tubers may produce more stems, but this does not necessarily mean a greater overall harvest from the same weight of seed potatoes.

For packs sold by weight, the number of tubers may vary depending on their size, but you will receive the stated pack weight.

Storing Seed Potatoes Before Planting

Unpack your seed potatoes when they arrive and keep them somewhere cool, light, dry and frost-free until planting. Avoid leaving them sealed in packaging or somewhere warm and dark, as this can encourage long, weak shoots.

What If My Seed Potatoes Have Already Sprouted?

Some shoots may already be present when your seed potatoes arrive. This is normal. Handle them carefully to avoid damaging the shoots and continue keeping them somewhere cool and bright until planting time.