Healthy Potato Growing Bundle

Grow Your Best Crop of Potatoes!

Companion planting is a time-tested method of growing crops together to improve soil health, enhance yields, and naturally deter pests. Potatoes and faba beans (also called broad beans) are an excellent pairing due to their complementary growth habits and soil benefits. 

Faba beans are leguminous plants, meaning they have a symbiotic relationship with nitrogen-fixing bacteria in their roots. These bacteria convert atmospheric nitrogen into a form that enriches the soil, making it more available for potato plants, which are heavy nitrogen feeders. As faba bean plants mature and decompose, they further contribute organic matter to the soil, enhancing its structure and fertility. When faba bean plants are cut back or tilled into the soil after harvesting, they act as a green manure, further improving soil health. 

Adding biochar and fish emulsion before planting enriches the soil with nutrients and beneficial microbes.

Potato Growing Bundle includes:

1 x 1kg Seed Potatoes

1 x 100g Bag Faba Bean Seeds

1 x 1kg Bioveg Biochar

1 x 1L Soil Dynamic "Protein Shake" Fish Emulsion

Follow these steps for a successful Potato Crop:

1. Prepare the Soil : 
   🌱 Choose a well-draining, sunny location. Loosen the soil to 12 inches deep to promote root growth. Add some well matured compost. 
   🌱 Mix in biochar (1–2 cups per square yard) to improve soil aeration, water retention, and microbial activity.
   🌱 Apply fish emulsion (diluted as per label instructions) to boost organic nutrients.
   
   
2. Plant Potatoes & Faba Beans:
   🥔 Spacing - Dig trenches about 15cm deep, spacing potatoes about 30cm apart in rows 2–3 feet apart.
   🥔 Plant 1-2 faba bean seeds between potato rows, spacing beans 6 inches apart. You want about 4-6 plants per square metre. If planting in potato grow bags, plant 2 seeds in centre of bag. 
   
   
3. Caring for Your Crop:
   💦 Water regularly, keeping the soil evenly moist but not soggy.
   🍂 Mulch with straw or dried leaves to retain moisture and suppress weeds.
   🐟 Apply the fish emulsion every 3–4 weeks to maintain nutrients.
   
   
4. Harvesting
   🫛 Faba Beans - Use as a chop and drop green manure before flowers set to improve soil. Otherwise, harvest pods when firm and full, usually 80–100 days after planting. Mulch plants back into soil after harvest - leaving roots intact in the soil. 
   🥔 Potatoes - Harvest new potatoes 60–90 days after planting or mature potatoes when foliage dies back.