Never add lime before planting potatoes, as this can encourage scab. April Dates will vary from year to year and around the country. A good indication of this is when grass begins to grow, usually in March. The shoots and leaves of potatoes are frost tender, so be prepared to protect them with cloches or 'fleece' if you plant early. These can be stored in the ground, protected by carpets or straw.
Some companies now sell seed in the summer for late planting.
Choose varieties that bulk up quickly, and that have some blight resistance. Cultivation Earthing up Potatoes can be 'earthed up' as they grow, bringing soil up around the shoots. This helps control weeds, prevents the tubers turning green and gives some protection against tuber blight. Earth up again just before the foliage meets across the rows. On a closer spacing, earthing up will not be possible, but the plants will shade themselves anyway.