Growing Potatoes
This is one of the world's staple crops, but amazingly it's not a popular homegrown vegetable. This is a pity for potatoes are great fun, very economical and easy to grow. Admittedly they do take up a garden bed for 10-12 weeks for small, 'new' potatoes and 18-19 weeks for larger spuds.

In temperate climates you can get a crop planted in spring and another in late summer. You must be able to harvest before the onset of frost
Potatoes are adaptable to a variety of soils but it should be deeply cultivated and have a complete fertiliser worked into the top 35cm. Good drainage is essential.

Plant only virus-free seed potatoes, these are available from garden centres and hardware stores. They should be planted into a 15cm deep furrow into which you have added some fertiliser and a small quantity of pelleted manure. Cover with soil.

Shoots will appear in three weeks and then the real fun starts. As the plants grow, hill the soil around the new leaves with a hoe. This protects the tubers from insects and prevents the developing tubers near the surface from becoming green and poisonous. It also increases the yield. Apply all water to the channel between the rows, not overhead. There is no need to re-fertilise during the season.
Once the leaves have turned yellow and died-off, get a fork well under the potatoes and dig up as many as you need.