Heathcote Valley Online

Call them Solanum tuberosum, papa, pomme de terre, patata, riwai, de aardappel, pratie, ziemniak, kartoffel, potatis, the humble spud or tatie, 2008 has been declared "The Year of the Potato" by the United Nations.

As broccoli romps up the trendy, must eat, life saving popularity list the humble spud has been relegated, by the cognoscenti of such things, to the lower rungs of the evil ladder along with sugar, butter, pork crackling and pink icing. Thank goodness, on this occasion, the United Nations has taken a sensible lead in lauding this amazing food source. Christchurch Botanic Gardens had a wonderful trial plot of organic potatoes during the summer, nearly a dozen varieties. Alison and Simon Holst were invited down to cook them on the spot. So, this summer season why not try to grow a few potatoes of your own?

In the supermarkets you are presented with perfectly shaped, botoxed, blow-dried, ten years younger in ten minutes potatoes in the most horrendous colour coded bags labelled Yellow or Red. These thumped, pummelled apologies for the real thing possibly have less nutritional value than the bags they are packed in. All because the customer wants an even shape and dainty hands that never touch a scrap of dirt. Forget about the lost food value of the potato. Potatoes grow in soil, dirt, and you remove that fine protective coating of dirt from the tuber and the food value plummets exponentially. Frozen, instant, mashed potato have now been invented to save all that peeling and dirty hands. In the advertisement on TV the uncooked product looked like duck droppings, with less food value.

Start by putting your seed potatoes on trays to sprout in a light, airy, frost free shed. This process is also called "chitting" for those who prefer to impress. Potatoes prefer slightly acid soil without the recent addition of animal manure. Plant carefully so as not to break the tiny sprouts in a well worked trench about 300mm deep. A ton of sun, water, keep weed free and earth or mould up as the plants grow and you will have a fantastic crop.

The potato is a very accommodating vegetable which will grow well in a large planter bag, as large as PB40, a big tree bag with handles, piles of old tyres, straw or anything. You can get big sacks with plastic linings, often used for coal or compost. Roll them down, cut holes in the bottom, Fill with pot-mix, soil, compost, pea-straw, mix together, plant potatoes and roll up as your spud grows topping up with more soil to nearly cover the leaves. This may seem daft, but, as well as moulding /earthing  up the potato as it grows to prevent disease entering and affecting the growing tubers you can stake potatoes. Not a great idea if you grow a lot but staking prevents the stems flopping over and so cutting off the food supply to the developing tubers.

The date you plant your potatoes is over to you and subject of much urban myth and intense competition. The goal should be fresh potatoes, not whether you beat "Grumpy old Bob" by a day to dig your potatoes. New varieties mean that you can plant earlier or even plant at the best time, October, and still be digging for Xmas. Most main crop varieties are best planted in early October.

For more really good reading and information go to www.potatonews.com. If you think there is no politics in sport well take a look at the rough life of a spud.

Varieties

• Early: Swift, Liseta, Rocket, Cliffs Kidney, Jersey Benne.

• Second Early: Heather, Nadine, Pentland Dell.

• Main Crop: Nadine, Karaka, Agria, Chippewa, Rua, Red Rascal.

There are heaps of other and new varieties. Portstone Nursery sell seed potatoes singly. Try Karaka. A fantastic flavour and you can buy it now at the Funky Pumpkin in 10g bags. Red King Edward and Idaho Baker are fabulous spuds if you can buy them. They are grown in Otago and Southland as potatoes can be area specific. Try some Maori potatoes. Sensational. Seed is most often available on Trade Me or Koanga Gardens www.koanga.co.nz

Nothing wilts faster than laurels that have been rested upon. -- Percy Bysshe Shelley

Work

•  Prune all pip fruit trees, not stone fruit, and then use a clean-up spray of copper oxychloride and winter oil. Prune grapes, currants, gooseberries and raspberries.

• Prune roses now and plant your new ones. Check out www.wairere.co.nz for some really good tips on roses. Try not to become too fixated on a bit of disease or aphids on roses. If you do have a problem look to the position, lack of air movement, age, and are you feeding them well. Sprays like Shield are systemic and non specific. They kill aphids, yes, but add to the death list butterflies, moths, bees, ladybirds, praying mantis et al. Let nature and waxeyes take care of the bugs or buy disease resistant.

• Apply gypsum all over.

Extras

• Coriander or as it is also named, Cilantro

This is a cool weather herb but may be grown successfully in summer using the following method. Fill a really large pot with potmix, scatter seed and lightly cover with soil, water. Place the pot on a plastic basin, fill with water and keep full at all times. Place this unattractive arrangement on the cool side of your house. It works. Also very good for dill and chervil.

• Put in a few snow peas. Another cool weather vegetable.

To realize that you do not understand is a virtue; Not to realize that you do not understand is a defect. -- Lao Tzu