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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
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Early:
Swift, Liseta, Rocket, Cliffs Kidney, Jersey
Benne.
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Second
Early: Heather, Nadine, Pentland Dell.
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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.
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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.
Extras
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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.
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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
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