Spud in a Bucket 2026
Spud Collection 26th 27th 28th March
Spud Weigh-in Sunday 13th September
Think you can grow the biggest spud? Join our Spud in a Bucket Competition, a fun and friendly challenge where participants grow potatoes in a single bucket and see whose harvest comes out on top!
The competition celebrates gardening skills, patience, and a bit of luck. It’s perfect for all ages--whether you’re an experienced grower or trying your hand at gardening for the first time.
Get your bucket ready, plant your spud, and let the growing begin! 🌱🥔
How to enter
Collect standard issue buckets and potatoes from Trinity Cafe, (inside Holy Trinity Church)
during opening hours, (typically 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm) 26th, 27th and 28th March.
If unable to collect on those days, please message Sally on 07710 175448 or send an email to [email protected]
Register your entry online (link below) or when picking up your spud.
Plant and care for your potato plant until September.
Register now: Entry Form
Our Spud in the Bucket weigh-in will take place on Sunday 13th September, 4pm at the Jolly Cricketers.
Don’t miss the grand finale when contestants line up their buckets. The contents are weighed in front of a crowd of spectators and recorded on our bespoke Spud-o-meter. When the very last crop is weighed, the winners are announced,
with separate trophies for adults and children.
The competition celebrates gardening skills, patience, and a bit of luck. It’s perfect for all ages--whether you’re an experienced grower or trying your hand at gardening for the first time.
Get your bucket ready, plant your spud, and let the growing begin! 🌱🥔
How to enter
Collect standard issue buckets and potatoes from Trinity Cafe, (inside Holy Trinity Church)
during opening hours, (typically 8.30am-12.30pm & 2-4.30pm) 26th, 27th and 28th March.
If unable to collect on those days, please message Sally on 07710 175448 or send an email to [email protected]
Register your entry online (link below) or when picking up your spud.
Plant and care for your potato plant until September.
Register now: Entry Form
Our Spud in the Bucket weigh-in will take place on Sunday 13th September, 4pm at the Jolly Cricketers.
Don’t miss the grand finale when contestants line up their buckets. The contents are weighed in front of a crowd of spectators and recorded on our bespoke Spud-o-meter. When the very last crop is weighed, the winners are announced,
with separate trophies for adults and children.
Growing tips
When to plant
Potatoes are available from the 3rd of May and we suggest planting them as soon as possible.
How to plant and care for
IMPORTANT, you need to drill PLENTY OF DRAINAGE HOLES IN YOUR BUCKET.
The spud will rot if it remains water-logged. If you’re standing the bucket on a hard surface,
raise it using pot feet or bricks to aid drainage.
Choose a cool, light place and fill your bucket with 10-15 cm of good garden soil mixed with compost - or just compost if you don’t have access to soil. Set the potato onto this base layer with sprouts facing upwards, then cover with another 10cm of soil/compost. If you’re buying compost, please choose peat-free. View this three minute video to learn why.
When the first leaves start to appear, add more compost/soil to keep the shoots well covered - carry on doing this while growing until the container is full, by which time, the danger of frost will have passed so it’s safe for the shoots to emerge.
Keep your spud well-watered but NOT water-logged. You won’t win if it has periods of dryness or swamp!
Potatoes are hungry so don’t forget to feed once a week with a suitable plant food - but don’t overdose!
(Good home-made liquid feed is easy to make if you have a patch of comfrey in your garden)
Good Luck!
Potatoes are available from the 3rd of May and we suggest planting them as soon as possible.
How to plant and care for
IMPORTANT, you need to drill PLENTY OF DRAINAGE HOLES IN YOUR BUCKET.
The spud will rot if it remains water-logged. If you’re standing the bucket on a hard surface,
raise it using pot feet or bricks to aid drainage.
Choose a cool, light place and fill your bucket with 10-15 cm of good garden soil mixed with compost - or just compost if you don’t have access to soil. Set the potato onto this base layer with sprouts facing upwards, then cover with another 10cm of soil/compost. If you’re buying compost, please choose peat-free. View this three minute video to learn why.
When the first leaves start to appear, add more compost/soil to keep the shoots well covered - carry on doing this while growing until the container is full, by which time, the danger of frost will have passed so it’s safe for the shoots to emerge.
Keep your spud well-watered but NOT water-logged. You won’t win if it has periods of dryness or swamp!
Potatoes are hungry so don’t forget to feed once a week with a suitable plant food - but don’t overdose!
(Good home-made liquid feed is easy to make if you have a patch of comfrey in your garden)
Good Luck!
