Watching the Beechgrove Garden last week underlined just how lucky we are on the Isle of Wight.

Gardeners in Scotland are only now chitting their potatoes when mine have been in the ground for more than a month.

They also call their spuds ‘tatties’ with such relish.

Personally, I even prefer the Dutch word, aardappel.

Isle of Wight County Press: Developing under polythene versus barely showing, without the cover.Developing under polythene versus barely showing, without the cover. (Image: Richard Wright.)

My Netherlands-bred aardappels have been in tubs in the greenhouse since mid-February and should be ready for lifting, or rather emptying, in just over a month.

Lady Christl is a first early, Dutch-bred potato which is known for maturing super-early, but it can also be left in the ground to harvest as a second early – so there is still time to plant it.

Growing in a couple of containers, in the slightly warmer conditions of a cold greenhouse, gives an earlier taster of the bounty to follow from the veg patch.

Grown in the best of compost, mixed with handfulls of seaweed, the potatoes are harvested super-clean with wafer-thin skins and free of disease and eelworm.

Lady Christl produces good yields of very early, firm, oval, smooth, pale yellow-skinned tubers with excellently flavoured creamy flesh.

Isle of Wight County Press:

There will be a gap between them being ready to harvest and those in the patch maturing, but I am happy to highlight that my little experiment of covering half the outdoor potato plot with polythene has been something of a success.

The extra warmth and protection from cold rain has meant that the earliest varieties already have a six inch haulm while the uncovered rows are only just showing.

I reckon the polythene has helped steal a fortnight’s march on the rest.

And the choice of the later International Kidney and Ratte will give a nice succession of the true taste of late spring and summer.

This week's gardening top tips

  • Asparagus will start to show by the end of the month. Harvest spears when they’re no more than nine inches tall. Use a knife to cut them off slightly below ground.
  • Prune forsythia as soon as they have finished flowering, cutting back to strong, young shoots.
  • Warmer weather will quickly start to dry out containers. Try mixing water storing granules with a top-dressing of compost to improve water retention.
  • Lift and divide established border perennials, like hostas, now, to improve vigour and create new plants.
  • Thin carrot seedlings to achieve good-sized carrots. Do this in the evening when fewer carrot flies are about. Growing garlic or onions next door will help mask the smell from the pests.
  • Lay new turf this month for an instant lawn. Soak it and keep it moist until it’s established.

Isle of Wight County Press: Lady Christl developing nicely in the greenhouse.Lady Christl developing nicely in the greenhouse. (Image: Richard Wright.)

The Isle of Wight Garden Plant Group may be small but it is perfectly formed.

It punches well above its weight in attracting interesting and informative speakers.

Timothy Walker makes a happy return to the Island on Thursday, April 20, giving an illustrated talk called Scent in the Garden, based on a gold medal winning garden at the Chelsea Flower Show.

  • The talk at Newport’s Parish Rooms in Town Lane starts at 7.30pm and tickets cost £10 to include refreshments.