While potatoes are cheap to buy, growing unusual varieties is a joy – and delicious too

As a rule, I discourage small-space gardeners from growing potatoes as they need a fair amount of room and are cheap to buy. Nonetheless, they’re a classic grow-your-own crop: satisfying to cultivate, a pleasure to harvest and delicious – especially if you choose a variety you might not see in a supermarket, such as the heirloom variety Sharpe’s Express (pictured above).

Potatoes are divided into different groups based on how long it takes them to produce crops. The most coveted – and expensive – are the “first earlies”, or new potatoes, which can be planted now and into April, to be ready in June and into July. Those that follow are called “second earlies” and go into the ground a couple of weeks later, to be dug up in August. The earlies are delectable when freshly harvested; they can’t be stored for long and have the added bonus of (hopefully!) hitting your plate before blight threatens.