The Uber Tuber

AFTER MAIZE, WHEAT AND RICE, THE HUMBLE SPUD IS THE WORLD’S FOURTH-LARGEST FOOD CROP

- Jennifer Stackhouse

One of the most satisfying times in the vegie garden is taking a garden fork and gently pushing it under a clump of potato plants. Lift up the fork and, as the soil falls away, you’ll discover a mass of potatoes. It is a moment to savour.

Some will be large, others small, but for flavour there’s nothing as delicious as boiled, mashed or baked homegrown potatoes. Those planted now may be ready to harvest for Christmas dinner.

The potato is a long-growing crop that takes four to five months to produce a full-sized harvest. Potatoes are usually planted in August but hold off in very cold and frosty areas. Frost can burn the leafy tops of potato plants, but plants generally recover if the frost is light.

In a warm climate, a second crop is grown in summer for an autumn harvest. Grow potatoes as a dry-season crop in tropical areas. In many frost-free regions, potatoes grow all year round so there’s always some spuds on hand for a meal.

PLANTING & CARE

 Planting that first crop of potatoes can be very confusing for beginner gardeners. This is because potatoes are grown from something that’s called a “seed” but is in fact a small tuber called a “seed” potato.

If you’ve ever had a potato start to sprout indoors before you’ve had a chance to cook it, you are well on the way to growing potatoes. Seed potatoes are sold by mail order in garden centres and at hardware stores and are guaranteed virus free, which means better success in the garden.