Who wants a go at the potato sack race?

By mclough

D O YOU love the flavour of the first new potatoes of the year? If the answer is a zestful nod then imagine how much better they taste when freshly dug from your own garden.

You don't need acres of space to grow them. Indeed, even a small garden with no dedicated place for a veg plot can be home to successful spuds - in a Grow-Sack. Terraces, balconies, back yards or even a roof garden can all be home to spuds in a sack.

Potatoes grown in containers can be planted earlier if given protection for the first few weeks indoors, in a frost-free greenhouse or even a sheltered porch.

Once there is no more risk of sub-zero temperatures they can be placed outside in their final growing spots. Make sure they are regularly watered and you can be harvesting your new potatoes before the first and most expensive supermarket ones are even on sale.

Growing in a Gro-Sack - as featured in Marshalls new Kitchen Garden catalogue - is simple and means no heavy digging. Just put a layer of compost in the bottom, place the seed spuds on top and cover with a further layer of compost.

As the foliage sprouts, gradually add more and more compost until your container is full. Leave a couple of inches at the top to allow for watering.

Not only will the potatoes you harvest taste divine but they will be lovely and clean with no scab or blemishes.

Growing in bags, moreover, is the way the most dedicated growers produce their tubers for the show table, with no scrubbing needed. The main things to remember are: Keep them free of frost, particularly if you start them early, and give them sufficient water to keep the compost moist and to assist swelling of the tubers.

Most early potatoes will be ready to harvest when they are in flower. To check, just scrape some of the soil away to see if they are the right size for you. If so, dig a few out, cook, eat and enjoy.

Each Gro-Sack is made to last for years from strong interwoven polypropylene with two carry handles. There are 12 drainage ports and the sacks measure 18in high and 12in wide. You can buy three Gro-Sacks for £9.95 or a Gro-Kit, consisting of three sacks plus 15 seed potatoes, for £13.75, with £1 knocked off if you order two or more kits.

* Order online at marshalls-seeds.co.uk or phone 01480 443391 for more information.