Now is a perfect time to plant a few potatoes to enjoy the real home grown flavor in a few months time. If you have ample land you can plant lots of potatoes to harvest later when mature, store and likely have all the spuds you need till you plant again next season.

For those that have limited garden area for planting potatoes then there are other vegetables better suited to plant for your dinning that take less room and quicker maturity for use..

If you do not have areas to grow potatoes in the ground then not all is lost as you can use grow bags.

I found on Temu web search a whole range of what they call ‘potato grow bags’ that have a flap on one side that you can open to harvest your crop at maturity without having to dig or pull the plants out.

These bags or similar on the web site are also ideal for growing tomatoes, cucumbers, zucchini and many other vegetable varieties.

All you need is a area that receives a reasonable amount of sunlight for a few hours every day.

Even in a situation where the plants do not receive any direct sunlight you can then spray the foliage with what I have called ‘Liquid Sunshine’

(A table spoon of molasses dissolved into a litre of hot water and then 10 mils of Magic Botanic Liquid added.

Put into a trigger sprayer and spray foliage every day. Leave sprayer where handy to the crop to use till all the spray is used up then make another fresh lot.

Why grow some potatoes? I can tell you in two words, ‘Great Taste’

Most Commercially grown potatoes are bland in taste because they have been grown with man made fertilisers and forced growth using urea or other nitrogen growth boosters.

So how to you grow the best tasting potatoes you will ever eat?

Simple and this can be applied to growing in open ground or in the potato bags.

You need to select the variety of potatoes you prefer and with that, the maturity time you prefer.

There is a list of the most common potatoes below to help with your choice.

Once you have what are called ‘seed potatoes’ (any potato is a seed potato if you use it for planting, no longer a seed potato if you eat it, fairly obvious!)

We place our ‘seed’ potatoes in a suitable place outside such as under trees or shrubs in a wooden box or under a car port to ‘green them up’ which means to harden off the shoots at the potatoes eyes.

They should not be in direct sun light as you are likely cook them.

You do not need to plant the whole seed potato as long as it has eyes on each part you plant it will grow as people often find when they put their potato peelings into the compost then have a potato plant growing.

In Britain during the war when food was scarce they would peel the potatoes and plant the peelings and eat the spud.

Now if you would like to try my way of growing and fertilising your seed potatoes then do this.

In a potato bag place about 10cm of good purchased compost, then over that sprinkle some BioPhos, Gypsum and a few sheep manure pellets or chicken manure (if you have that).

Now days you have Wallys Real Blood & bone to add to the mix.

Lightly cover with a little more compost and sit your seed potato on that with as many eyes as possible sitting up.

Then more compost to just cover the potato and the sprouted eyes.

Have a bag or two of compost handy and as soon as the sprouts break out of the compost cover them again as soon as possible.

Keep doing so every time the foliage pokes through till you reach near the top of the bag.

If you miss doing so and the foliage gets to a bit of height, say about 5 cm or more, then you have lost the plot.

This continual coverage forces the the plant to grow a long stem and that is where the new potatoes form, the longer the stem the bigger the crop off one plant.

In open ground a deep trench is dug out and then you proceed as above but now covering with the soil you have removed.

Once up to ground level then you keep covering to make a mound.

At some point you stop and let the foliage enjoy the freedom of sun light.

Planting early and growing fast maturing varieties you can over come the potato psyllids problem if that is a problem in your area.

Placing Neem Granules on the soil by the foliage before you start mounding will help with control of insect pests that eat the potatoes in the soil.

Now here is the varieties and maturity times of common potatoes.

1st Early

Cliff Kidney Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Kidney Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Waxy potato good for boiling, salads, casseroles & soups with

excellent flavour.

Jersey Bennes Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Waxy potato good for boiling, salads, casseroles, soups and mashing.

.

Liseta Maturity: Approx 70-80 days Tuber Shape: Long oval Skin: White

Flesh: Creamy yellow General: Firm cooking waxy potato ideal for boiling,

salads, casseroles, soups & roasting. High yielder.

Maris Anchor Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Excellent as an early boiling potato, also suitable for roasting.

Rocket Maturity: Approx 60-70 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Great boiling and roasting potato.

Swift Maturity: Approx 60-70 days Tuber Shape: Round Skin: White Flesh: Cream

General: Waxy potato ideal for boiling, salads, casseroles & soups.

High yielder.

2nd Early

Allura Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Round oval shape, shallow eyes

Skin: White bright skin Flesh: White. General: Lovely tasting potato. Great

boiled, roasted and as wedges or chips. Very versatile and suits all cooking

requirements. Holds firm on cooking. Very high yielder.

Chippewa Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Round Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Excellent cooking potato good for boiling and roasting.

Heather Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Long oval Skin: Purple blue

Flesh: White General: Waxy potato ideal for boiling, salads, casseroles,

mashing and roasting. Excellent flavour.

Ilam Hardy Maturity: Approx 70-80 days Tuber Shape: Oval round Skin: White

Flesh: White General: Floury potato ideal for mashing, baking, roasting,

chips and wedges.

Karaka Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Great all round cooking potato with excellent flavour. High yielder.

Merlin Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Round to oval

Skin: Yellow, red eyes Flesh: Cream General: Great boiling potato.

High yielder.

Nadine Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Round Skin: White Flesh: White

General: Waxy potato good for boiling, salads, casseroles, soups.

Osprey Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber-Shape: Oval Skin: White with red eyes.

Flesh: Cream General: Good for all purpose cooking. Stays firm,

great to microwave & roast. High yielder.

Pentland Dell Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Long oval Skin: White

Flesh: White General: Good cooking.

Purple Heart Maturity: Approx 80-90 days Tuber Shape: Oval and shallow eyes

Skin: Deep purple and smooth Flesh: Purple toned General: Great for salads,

boiling and microwaving Health: Strong in antioxidant benefits.

Purple Passion Maturity: Approx 70-80 days Tuber Shape: Oval long shape, shallow eyes

Skin: Purple Flesh: Cream to very pale yellow General: Excellent cooking

qualities great for boiling and chipping. Holds firm on cooking.

Main Crop

Agria Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Long oval Skin: Cream

Flesh: Yellow General: Floury potato suitable for boiling, mashing, baking,

wedges and great for chips. High yielder.

Desiree Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Round Skin: Pink Flesh: Cream

General: Good for all general cooking, great to microwave.

Moonlight Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Round oval Skin: White

Flesh: White General: Good all purpose, cooks well as a boiling and chipping

potato. High yielder.

Red King Maturity: Approx 100-120 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: Red Flesh: White

General: Good all round cooking potato with excellent flavour.

Red Rascal Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Oval Skin: Very red

Flesh: White General: Floury potato that is a good all purpose cooking.

Suitable to be grown organically.

Rua Maturity: Approx 100 days Tuber Shape: Round to oval Skin: Fine white

Flesh: White General: Good all rounder for roasting and boiling.

Van Rosa Maturity: Approx 90-100 days Tuber Shape: Round Skin: Very red

Flesh: White General: Good all purpose potato, great for boiling and roasting

You can tell your potatoes are ready when the green leafy vines above ground turn yellow, brown, and completely die back. Wait about two weeks after the foliage dies so the potato skins thicken up. Then, rub a test potato’s skin; if it does not flake off, they are ready to dig and better storable.

Try a few in bags you will enjoy the experience and taste.

Phone 0800 466464
Garden Pages and News at www.gardenews.co.nz
Shar Pei pages at  www.sharpei.co.nz
Mail Order products at www.0800466464.co.nz

New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990. Part II of the Act covers a broad range of Civil and Political Rights. As part of the right to life and the security of the person, the Act guarantees everyone:

1The right not to be deprived of life except in accordance with fundamental justice (Section 8)

2The right not to be subjected to torture or to cruel, degrading, or disproportionately severe treatment or punishment (Section 9)

3The right not to be subjected to medical or scientific experimentation without consent (Section 10)

4The right to refuse to undergo any medical treatment (Section 11)

 Furthermore, the New Zealand Bill of Rights Act 1990 guarantees everyone: Freedom of Thought, Conscience, and Religion.
This includes the right to freedom of thought, conscience, religion, and belief,
INCLUDING THE RIGHT TO ADOPT AND HOLD OPINIONS WITHOUT INTERFERENCE (Section 1)

Seize the moments of happiness, love and be loved! That is the only reality in the world, all else is folly.

Photo Credit: pixabay.com