Gardening with Wally Richards: Tattie Time

Yes the annual event of planting potatoes has started for those gardeners that like to grow a few spuds.

Potatoes eaten in the many forms is a stable of our Kiwi food chain.

We are to eating potatoes as Asians are into their rice. Maybe it is something from our past and forefathers migrating to NZ from UK.

Potatoes were introduced to Western diets in the 16th century, primarily through Spanish conquistadors who brought them back from South America.

While initially met with some resistance and suspicion, potatoes gradually gained acceptance, particularly in regions like Ireland, where they became a staple food.

Then in New Zealand we have what are called ‘Maori Potatoes.’

Maori potatoes, known as “taewa” or “riwai,” originated in South America and were introduced to New Zealand by European explorers, notably James Cook.

Maori adopted these potatoes, named and cultivated them, developing unique varieties and integrating them into their culture as a staple food and valuable trade item.

There are now several varieties of Maori potatoes available along side a big list of European potatoes.

In times gone by it was a tradition to plant a crop of potatoes to mature for Christmas dinner; at the time when the first new potatoes would be available for eating, prior to that one would only have the old potatoes from last season that had gone soft and were spouting shoots.

So like many things since long gone; the new potatoes at the beginning of the early season harvest were a great treat (and much easier to peel if peeled at all).

Now because of cool storage potatoes you buy are like new potatoes or near new as they are starting to age out of cool storage.

The best grown potatoes come from the deep south of the South Island and are streets ahead of commercially grown North Island potatoes.

Potatoes can be grown from tubers, either whole or cut in half with at least one eye on each piece.

They can also be grown from potato peelings that have an eye in tact. (The eye is where the sprout comes from.)

They also can be grown from seed which is that round green fruit that forms on the plant after flowers have set. Hence how new varieties are created by crossing pollen from one variety to another and then growing from the resulting seed.

With European potatoes they are divided into groups which relate to the maturing times in days from planting to harvesting.

You have very early crops like Swift or Rocket maturing in about 60 -70 days.

Then you have early crops such as Apache and Highlander maturing in about 80 – 90 days

Main crop such as Cliffs Kidney and Maris Anchor maturing 90-100 days

Late crop and Maori potatoes take longest 110-120 days.

How to plant

Firstly you ‘Shoot and Green the seed potatoes’ this is simply done by placing them in a good light situation out of direct sunlight such as in a car port or under a hedge.

If reluctant to start take them into the kitchen as you do purchased potatoes to eat and they soon start sprouting in the warmth. As soon as a sprout starts they must go outside into a good light spot and protected from frost.

If not the sprouts will become long and white searching for light and ruined for planting.

From past experience I have found that placing a little BioPhos, a little Gypsum and a few Sheep manure pellets under each seed potato you plant will give you the best results.

Traditional planting is in the garden digging a trench about one to two spade depth and placing the tubers that have sprouted and shoots hardened off and turning green from light at the bottom of the trench with the products above under them.

You just cover so the shoots are not exposed. The shoots will soon break through the soil covering and you cover with a bit more soil.

You repeat this as soon as they break through the soil till you reach ground level. This does two things, it protects foliage from any frosts and it stretches the ‘stem’ which has the ability to produce new tubers all the way up the stem.

Now this only happens if you keep covering very soon after the shoot appears, if allowed to grow taller like about 5cm or so then you have lost the plot and it has grown too tall to keep on producing more new potatoes as it grows.

Once it gets to ground level then you keep mounding up till you have a mound about 15 to 20 cm tall then you let the foliage do its thing.

Early potatoes are typically ready for harvest when their flowers are fully open, about three months after planting. You can also gently dig around the base of the plant to check for potatoes of a good size.

Unlike main crop potatoes, early potatoes have a thin skin and are not ideal for long-term storage, so harvest them as needed for fresh eating.

Maincrop potatoes are typically harvested from late summer into autumn, when the foliage has died back.

The exact timing depends on the specific variety and planting time, but you can also start harvesting them earlier for immediate use once the plants begin to flower.

If you do not have a lot of garden space to grow potatoes other than maybe a small crop of early potatoes then you can still grow in buckets or grow bags and use compost layer in the bottom, place the goodies as mentioned above for open gardens. Just cover over the seed potato with compost and as shoots appear keep covering to you reach the top level of the container.

Say you have a old bath or deep trough with good drainage you could grow several potatoes in it using the container method.

If you have a waste area where you don’t grow anything but weeds you can use that area to grow and if stoney put a layer of compost down first then the seed potato and cover as with bath method.

I found a mail order site that has a good range of seed potatoes along with several types of Maori potatoes here.

You can buy small amounts or large lots depending on your needs.

Image credit: Markus Spiske

Products mentioned are from Wallys Range of products and can be found in some garden shops or by Mail Order on www.0800466464.co.nz

Problems ring me at: Phone 0800 466464
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