Gardeners' World's Alan Titchmarsh shares crucial tip for storing potatoes

-Credit: (Image: ITV)
-Credit: (Image: ITV)


Gardening legend Alan Titchmarsh has shared his wisdom with green-thumbed enthusiasts on how to store potatoes to prevent them from sprouting.

This age-old conundrum - how to keep your vegetables from sprouting - has apparently been solved by the 75 year old gardening guru.

Speaking on the Gardeners' World podcast, he recommended: "Remember when you are storing onions and potatoes, they need two different things. When you're digging your spuds up to store them for the winter, make sure you put them in really thick paper sacks so they're in the dark.

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"The main crop of potatoes tend to last longer stored than the earlier crops do but do store them in the dark."

Alan was the lead presenter on Gardeners' World on the BBC from 1996 to 2002 and has fronted a variety of other horticultural shows, the Express reports.

There is one thing potatoes need according to Alan Titchmarsh -Credit:ITV
There is one thing potatoes need according to Alan Titchmarsh -Credit:ITV

The TV host also offered some wise counsel regarding onion storage - which is completely opposite to his potato storage advice.

Alan explained: "Onions, quite the reverse. Store your onions when you're digging them up in summer - I generally try and bend over the tops of the onions first to allow the sun to ripen the bulbs.

"They hang up in my shed right through the winter and they like light so they're near the window. That will make sure they don't sprout too much and they will last me right the way through to next spring."

His advice on storing onions was markedly different -Credit:ITV
His advice on storing onions was markedly different -Credit:ITV

He emphasises the importance of a water butt as an essential tool for any gardener. Speaking on the Gardener's World podcast, he shared: "The funny thing is, there's something about rain.

"It's got some sort of magic ingredient and plants always seem to grow more rapidly from rainwater, from water that comes out of the hosepipe."

"So make sure that there ware water butts on all your downpipes, so that you're saving rainwater."