DIY spuds are the ace of spades

Slowly but surely, soils around the country are drying out and warming up and the 2014 growing season is about to kick off with gusto.

Soil needs to be sufficiently dry before it can be worked and once this happens beds should be prepared and first crops planted into the ground, which in Ireland, traditionally, is first-early potatoes. Early potatoes, sometimes referred to as ‘salad potatoes’ due to their waxy texture and thin skins, are a winner for many reasons as they are fast growing and are usually out of the ground before blight season hits.

Depending on the weather and when you get planting, you could be harvesting the first of your spuds as early as late May. First earlies are also a great starter crop for breaking up new and heavy ground, suppressing weeds and leaving soil in a good friable condition for following on with more delicate veggies. The only downside to growing potatoes is that they do take up a lot of space in respect of the economic value of their yield and they will need to be rotated on an annual basis. Traditionally, first earlies were, and still are, planted in Ireland on St Patrick’s Day and the age-old method of growing them was by building a lazy bed, a method that involves converting grass covered ground into a planting plot. Based on my own personal experience I can safely say there is nothing lazy about these lazy beds. Interestingly both the style and tools used to make lazy beds differ from county to county and my friend and former teacher, Jim McNamara of The Organic College in Dromcollagher recommends the following: