Spud in a Bucket 2025
Sunday 7th September
Our Spud in the Bucket weigh-in will take place on Sunday 7th September at the Jolly Cricketers.
Don’t miss the grand finale of the 2025 Spud in a Bucket competition, at the Jolly Cricketers,
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.
How to enter
Register online or at the Plant Sale on Saturday 3rd May.
Collect standard issue buckets and potatoes from Saturday 3rd May 2pm to 5pm
at Seer Green Baptist Church.
Plant and care for your potato plant. Bring your bucket to the Weigh-In on Sunday 7th September.
Register now: Entry Form
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
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
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!
