The gauntlet has been thrown down for a second year as the time fast approaches for the launch of the village's “Great Potato Challenge”.

The inaugural event last year was a huge success as well being voted lots of fun. Over 100 people entered the challenge with the winner producing a massive 49 potatoes and also the heaviest individual one.

Get ready then to nurture, feed, water and cosset your seed potato which will be growing in its own specially supplied bucket. Potatoes and buckets can be collected any time, for one week, from April 21st from the Vicarage on Knaresborough Road and then it is down to you to tenderly care for it until the Great Weigh in on September 14th when prizes will be awarded for the heaviest overall crop, most potatoes produced and the heaviest individual potato. Cost of entry is £10. Proceeds from the event will be shared between St. John's Church in Bishop Monkton, St. Leonard's Church at Burton Leonard and this village's Methodist Chapel. Click to register for the challenge.

The seed potatoes will be kindly supplied by local farmer and potato grower, Tim Abel, who knows a thing or two about growing the crop as he plants about 2.2 million seed potatoes every year, not by hand he hastens to add.

The seed potato that will be used for the Challenge is called Royal, a variety produced only by McCain for their chips. It is high yielding, has a nice taste to it and makes not only a good jacket potato, but also a tasty mash. “A good all round variety”, says Tim.

Tim's advice on how to grow a good crop is to choose fertile soil, helped along with of the many “Miracle Grow” products currently available on the market. Make sure, at first, that the potato is kept inside overnight as no potato reacts well to a cold night. The soil needs to be always moist but never saturated. Do this and the yield should be should be between two and twenty potatoes from one seed, or even more if last year is anything to go by. Tim's final tip “ A good supply of farm yard manure is always a big help”!

On your marks, get set.......GROW!!!!!!”