Tatties Galore!

Volunteer Christina has been growing potatoes.

Earlier in the session I, and some others, attended the Gardening in Small Spaces workshop held in the garden. We began with herbs in pots and I planted up two. We were then shown how to plant potatoes in a carrier bag. I decided I had enough to carry down the hill with my two pots so didn’t do the tatties at garden but, as had bought myself some reusable tomato planter bags and compost at home for my tomato crop which I was expanding following a great crop last year, that I would just bring the two seed potatoes home and set it up at home myself.

Unfortunately when I got home I discovered I had picked a rotten potato from the tray but having been told it was possible to do so I cut the other one in two and planted the two halves in the bag. I had, as per instructed at workshop and using the potato blog as reference, rolled the bag down and only planted half depth with compost and left the rest of bag beside my tatties.

I then watched on my regular checks as the plants grew and as they grew so did the height of the bag and the depth of the soil as I added more to cover the leaves.

The weeks passed and, with a bit of water can action, during our lovely summer my bag filled with lovely green plants.

Then suddenly they flopped!!! What had I done wrong??? Had I watered them too much? Not enough?

A quick chat with Helena at garden…. I hadn’t done anything wrong it was the plant telling me it was harvest time…it’s a good job Helena speaks tattie and could translate for me!!

Home I went and the big moment was upon us the big reveal!!! The bag was emptied onto a tarpaulin so I can use the compost again for different pots next year and the rummage began. As you can see there was a range of sizes but I had the larger ones with my Sunday dinner and the smaller ones as you can see made a lovely potato salad, to go with my homemade coleslaw, another recipe from my old school recipe book as will be known to regular readers of these blogs as source of rhubarb crumble recipe.

440 grams of tatties from one tattie a good return I thought and will definitely be trying again next year.
PS the tomatoes aren’t doing so well this year so it might be more of the bags go to tatties next year watch this space!!

Text and photos by Christina Howie