AT 81 years of age, Herbert Copping thought he had seen it all in the gardening world.

Cambs Times: Herbert Copping with his strange potatoes in WitchamHerbert Copping with his strange potatoes in Witcham (Image: Archant)

But, when tending his vegetable patch last Thursday, the Witcham man came across something he hadn’t seen in all his years of gardening…potatoes growing above ground.

Mr Copping, of Backway, has both desiree and cara potatoes growing in his garden and is preparing in the coming weeks for harvest.

When checking his crop on Thursday, however, he noticed that some of his cara potato plants had started to sprout new tubers half-way up the stem.

He said: “I haven’t ever heard of that happening before so when I saw it, it was quite a surprise. They seem to be growing like tomatoes. I have a row of tomatoes planted next to them and I do wonder whether that has anything to do with it.”