Seed Potato 'Rocket'

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 first early potatoes like 'Rocket', helping them get off to a quicker start.

Where to Plant

Choose a sunny position. Potatoes grow in most soils but prefer fertile, moisture-retentive, well-drained loam. 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 March to April, once the soil has started to warm and is not waterlogged. 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. Aim to keep the soil evenly moist without waterlogging it. Apply a suitable potato fertiliser according to the pack instructions.

Pests and Diseases

'Rocket' has strong resistance to golden potato cyst nematode (Ro1), but it can still be affected by potato blight and other diseases. Its early harvest can help reduce exposure to the main blight season. Check the foliage regularly during warm, humid weather and avoid wetting the leaves unnecessarily when watering.

Choosing a Container

'Rocket' is well suited to large pots and potato growing bags, making it a good choice for patios and smaller gardens. Choose a container holding at least 30–40 litres for two seed potatoes, with drainage holes 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

Potatoes grown in containers need regular watering, especially during warm weather. Check the compost frequently and water thoroughly when needed, allowing excess water to drain away. Feed with a suitable potato fertiliser, following the manufacturer's instructions.

Harvesting from Containers

'Rocket' is one of the quickest potatoes to mature, so start checking the tubers as the plants approach their expected harvest time. When they're large enough to eat, carefully tip out the container or empty the growing bag onto a sheet to collect the potatoes. Avoid leaving harvested tubers exposed to strong sunlight.

When to Harvest

As a quick-growing first early, 'Rocket' can be ready to harvest in around 10–12 weeks under favourable conditions. Potatoes may be ready from May with early planting and protection, although June and July are more typical for outdoor crops. Gently check beneath one plant to see whether the tubers have reached a useful size.

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. Young new potatoes have delicate skins, so handle them gently.

Storing Your Potatoes

'Rocket' is best enjoyed freshly harvested, while its skins are thin and its flesh is firm and waxy. Unlike many maincrop varieties, it is not suitable for long-term storage. Lift what you need where possible, or keep undamaged potatoes somewhere cool, dark and frost-free for a short period.

Important Storage Tips

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

Boiling

'Rocket' is particularly good boiled as a new potato. Its firm, waxy white flesh holds together well during cooking. Serve with a little butter, fresh mint or chopped parsley for a simple summer side dish.

Steaming

Steaming helps preserve the delicate texture of young 'Rocket' potatoes. They're delicious served whole with butter and herbs, alongside fish, chicken or seasonal vegetables.

Potato Salads

The smooth skins and firm flesh make 'Rocket' a good choice for potato salads. Boil until just tender, allow to cool slightly and toss with a mustard dressing, mayonnaise or fresh herbs.

Roasting

Although 'Rocket' is primarily grown for boiling and steaming, small new potatoes can also be roasted whole or halved with olive oil and herbs. They'll develop lightly crisp skins while keeping a firmer, creamier centre than floury roasting varieties.

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.