Grow great jacket potatoes

Read our guide to growing potatoes.

A crispy skin is one of the best things about a jacket potato, but it's also where you'll find most of the chemicals in non-organic potatoes. So it's doubly worth growing organically if you're planning to eat the skin.

Two factors combine to make the best jacket potatoes. Firstly, the right variety - choose a second early or maincrop variety.

Potato types explained

And secondly, good growing. Here's how to grow the best possible jacket potato.

Buy the best

Buy certified seed potatoes from a reputable source. Chit the tubers indoors to begin sprouting.

Planting tips

Site your potatoes in full sun and add plenty of organic matter to the soil before planting. Plant in early or mid-April, 15cm deep. Space 38cm apart, with 75cm between rows, as you'll need lots of earth for earthing up.

Care tips

Earth up as shoots develop by pulling soil up around the stems every week or two. Cover with fleece if late frosts threaten. Water during dry spells, directly onto the soil, as watering onto the foliage can spread disease.

Harvest

Harvest second earlies in late summer, maincrops in autumn. Lift earlies when the plants are still flowering - feel around underneath the plant to check the size of the tubers. Cut the tops off, then gently prise the plants out of the ground with a fork. Dig up the potatoes as you need them. Leave maincrops in the ground until the leaves turn yellow and die down. Dig them up on a dry day and cut off the tops. Discarding any damaged tubers. Main crop potatoes store well in a cool, frost-free place.