Super spud! Sleaford allotment holder grows her second giant potato

Retired primary school teacher Sharon Marlow, of Sleaford, only began renting her plot at the town’s Millfield Terrace allotments last year and last week unearthed a super-sized spud weighing 1.22kg.

She said: “It is a bit of a monster against your average potato. Last year I dug one up of a different variety which weighed over 1kg and it was award-winning, getting best in class at the local show. But this one is even bigger.”

Neighbour and experienced grower Don Ridley advised Sharon that it would have easily won the class for the heaviest potato if entered in the Heckington Show horticultural contest which this year had to be cancelled due to coronavirus.

Sharon only took up gardening after retirement and moving to the town two and a half years ago to be near her father.

“Don has taught me all I know and I just love being up at the allotment and growing for the pleasure of other people,” Sharon said.

She explains: “I did give the crop a comfrey feed during the dry period so that might have helped.

“I give my potatoes a mid-season drink poured straight into the trench and this potato came off the last root I dug and we were squealing with excitement down at the allotment.”

She checked the weight on a set of scales hung on the fence and showed some passing school girls who were amazed.

She said: “I got some other big ones and my neighbour had them. This one alone would make a bag of chips for a whole family.

“In these miserable times I thought it was a fun thing.”

Her giant potato is not destined for the kitchen table, instead it will be used as seed for next year’s hopefully bumper crop.