The Potato Book

A charming guide to potatoes, covering everything from how to grow them to their origins and history.

＂Everybody who possibly can ought to grow potatoes.＂ First published towards the end of the First World War, this charming little book is a love letter to the potato, from its origins in South America to Sir Francis Drake’s travels, the Irish potato famine, and the great potato boom of 1903 when the ＂El Dorado＂ changed hands at eye-watering prices.

Filled with practical advice much of which still holds true today, The Potato Book was written to advocate growing potatoes as a cheap and effective crop against a background of spiraling costs and food shortages. Chapters cover soil preparation, methods of propagating, chitting, planting, earthing-up, and recommended varieties from King Edward to Kerr’s Pink. It also describes, with handy diagrams, how to guard against common pests and diseases.

With a witty and wonderful introduction by Kathy Clugston, The Potato Book is a perfect gift for vegetable growers or anyone with enduring affection for the humble spud.

John Clark Newsham (d. 1927) was the author of several books on horticulture. Kathy Clugston is a freelance broadcaster from Belfast. She has been hosting the world’s longest-running gardening program, Gardeners’ Question Time, on BBC Radio 4 since 2019. She also presents a weekly Arts program on BBC Radio Ulster and writes a monthly column for the Ulster Tatler.