🐣🥔 Easter Planting: Tradition or Timing? |
|
Easter is almost upon us! Some schools will be off this week and others next week. Easter has long been seen as the first spring bank holiday, and with it comes the tradition of planting potatoes. It is a natural moment: the weather is warming up enough to be outside, and the garden is ready for the new season. But just because it’s traditional doesn’t mean it’s always the best time. Easter moves around the calendar by up to six weeks, and soil conditions matter far more than the date. Cold, wet ground will slow your potatoes, while slightly warmer soil gives them a head start. Treat Easter as a guideline, not a rule, plant when your soil and weather are ready, and your potatoes will thank you later. 🌱🥔 Potatoes hate sitting in cold, wet ground. Ideally, soil temperatures should be around 7–10°C and starting to warm up. If your soil is still cold and soggy, waiting a week or two will usually give you stronger plants and a better harvest. A simple plan? Buy your seed potatoes now, let them chit for 3–4 weeks, and aim to plant around mid-April, traditionally around St George’s Day. By then the soil is often warming up nicely in many parts of the UK. However May is also a common month to plant. Here, just north of Dundee we still have expectations of a snowball fight and clearing the car of frost! |
