Julian Winfield, Chief Executive at the Haskins Garden Centre group, says that provided the Christmas Potato plants are placed in compost in either a large container or potato bag, an important ingredient in the traditional Christmas dinner can be home grown.

“ Provided the plants receive regular water, fed with some general fertiliser and are protected from frost, the potatoes can be left in the compost until required for eating,” said Julian Winfield. “The instructions are very easy to follow.”

In the first week of sale, over 489 of the £1.89 plants were sold across the group’s four centres and buyers hoping to meet the demand for the plants until the ideal “plant before” period of mid September.