PLEASE forgive me for crabbing on about the joys of the humble potato.

But home-grown spuds are exciting. Honestly.

I have just harvested my first tub of Swift, which did exactly what was said on the label, maturing from planting to harvest in just three months, producing beautiful unblemished tubers in the fastest possible time.

Just as I prepared to tuck-in, mail order company, DT Brown, reminded me it is certainly not too late to plant a second early crop to get that new potato taste in autumn and the run-up to Christmas too.

The potatoes on offer are not special breeds or modifications on standard varieties, they are either first or second earlies noted for their waxy texture and reliable crops, but which have been put into temperature-controlled stasis keeping them dormant to the middle of summer.

That means they can be planted from mid-June to late July to give a tasty crop of new potatoes later in the year with no need for chitting.

And, of course, if you want to cheat next year, buy a few tubers at the usual time early in the year and pop ‘em in the fridge. DT Brown dispatches from late June.

l In this throwaway world of ours people often discard tulip bulbs as a one-hit wonder because after putting on a show they often disappoint in a second year.

Barbara Nabb read my piece on my good chum Sue Lupton’s tulips, had a similar dazzling display and also read that, like her, Sue was planning to lift her bulbs to re-use them next year and free-up the containers for other, later stuff.

Barbara too stuffed a lot of different tulips into a few containers with wonderful results, had the same space predicament as Sue and got conflicting advice online.

So, to stand a chance of repeat flowering, before tulip foliage dies down plants should be dead-headed and a foliar feed applied to give the bulbs a boost for next year.

Allow a couple of weeks for absorption and the leaves to crisp up, if possible, and dig up the bulbs. If you need the space earlier you can let the foliage yellow in trays in a well-ventilated space.

Clean the soil off the bulbs, and discard any that are damaged or diseased. Allow the bulbs to dry thoroughly before storing.

Store them in trays or net bags in a warm, dark, well-ventilated place before replanting in the autumn.

Flowering, however, will probably still be uncertain. It is probably best to use old bulbs in the less important beds, borders and containers, and use new for prominent areas.