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Your support makes all the difference.<\/strong><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nRead more<\/span><\/svg><\/span><\/button><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/aside>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\nAnyone celebrating Burns Night with a traditional feast of haggis should also be enjoying the classic \u2018neeps and tatties\u2019 accompaniment.<\/p>\n
Gardeners who want to grow their own turnips and potatoes to add a personal touch to the event which commemorates the birthday of Scotland\u2019s national poet, Robert \u201cRabbie\u201d Burns, should be planning ahead for next year.<\/p>\n
So, how do you grow your own neeps and tatties?<\/p>\n
Turnips<\/strong><\/p>\nFor winter turnips, you\u2019ll need maincrop varieties which are slower growing than their summer relatives but can be easily stored through the cooler months.<\/p>\n
They\u2019re a member of the cabbage (brassica) family and prefer a reasonably fertile slightly alkaline soil, in a sunny spot in cool conditions and moisture-retentive soil.<\/p>\n
The soil will need to be raked to a fine crumbly texture and organic matter added before sowing.<\/p>\n
Calendar<\/strong><\/p>\nWhile turnips can be grown between February and August, if you want them for Burns Night, sow the seeds directly into the ground in July or August, spacing rows 30cm apart. If necessary, thin them early to avoid damaging the roots, leaving 15cm between plants. They should be ready in around 10 weeks.<\/p>\n
Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\nIf the weather is particularly dry when you sow, make sure you water the seedbed regularly to avoid the roots from splitting and keep the area well weeded to avoid competition.<\/p>\n
Harvest<\/strong><\/p>\nMaincrop turnips sown in summer should be ready for harvesting in autumn, depending on the variety. Don\u2019t let your turnips get too big or they will become woody. Harvest them when they are about the size of a golf ball or tennis ball and make sure you do it before the cold weather really sets in as they are not winter hardy.<\/p>\n
You can store the autumn harvest in a cool, frost-free place, ideally in a shallow box covered with sand or coir compost. Good varieties include \u2018Purple Top Milan\u2019, \u2018Green Globe\u2019 and \u2018Snowball\u2019.<\/p>\n
You can also sow the crop under cover in a cold polytunnel or greenhouse, or in a large container, and if you do this you could be harvesting them through to November, as long as the frost doesn\u2019t get to them.<\/p>\n
Potatoes<\/strong><\/p>\nLate-season maincrop varieties with good storage and floury or creamy texture are the ideal types to grow for Burns Night, perfect for mashing and baking, such as blight-resistant \u2018Sarpo Mira\u2019, \u2018Maris Piper\u2019 or \u2018Golden Wonder\u2019.<\/p>\n
They will take up a lot of room, but if you\u2019re limited on space you can grow them in large pots or even a sack filled with compost. As the plants grow, soil can be gradually piled up around the stems, known as earthing up, to bury the developing tubers.<\/p>\n
Avoid planting them in waterlogged ground or spots where you\u2019re likely to get late frost, as potatoes are susceptible to frost.<\/p>\n
Calendar<\/strong><\/p>\nBuy maincrop seed potatoes \u2013 small, stored tubers which you can buy in bags in late winter \u2013 which can be planted out at the end of April, in deep, well-drained soil with added organic matter such as compost, which should ideally be incorporated in the previous autumn or winter.<\/p>\n
Prepare the ground in January, loosening the area and working in some well-rotted manure.<\/p>\n
Unlike early varieties which benefit from chitting (encouraging seed potatoes to start sprouting by placing them in egg boxes on a windowsill with \u2018eyes\u2019 uppermost a few weeks before you plant them), maincrop types are in the ground much longer so don\u2019t need to be chitted.<\/p>\n
They will be in the ground through summer and into autumn, but will produce bigger potatoes which are better for storing.<\/p>\n
Plant tubers around 15cm deep and 40cm apart, in rows around 75cm apart.<\/p>\n
Maintenance<\/strong><\/p>\n
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