Lift up the fork and, as the soil falls away, youll discover a mass of potatoes.
It is a moment to savor.
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.
It gives them a head start in a cold climate.
Plant sprouted tubers into trenches dug about 15cm deep.
Space the rows 75cm apart and allow at least 3040cm between each plant.
Incorporate fertilizer into the base of the planting trench.
This depth and spacing is vital to manage the crop.
A good layer of soil around the base of the plant also protects the developing potatoes from direct sunlight.
Exposure to light leads to a condition called greening of potatoes.
The green parts of potatoes are toxic and should not be eaten.
Continue to earth up around the potatoes as the crop grows.
Apply plentiful water so the crop doesnt wilt.
Well-watered potatoes tend to be larger and tastier than those that are drought stressed.
TROUBLESHOOTING
Severalpests and diseasesaffect potatoes.
Rats and mice burrow into the bed and gnaw on the potatoes before harvest.
Dry conditions also lead to potato scab.
Crop rotation is also vital.
One of the ways that diseases spread is by growing potatoes in the same garden bed year after year.
While its easy to move the potato bed around, the sneaky nature of potatoes often foils the gardener.
Even the smallestpiece of potato thats left behind at harvest can sprout and grow.
Potatoes can regrow themselves in their original bed or turn up in areas where theyve been spread in compost.
It was this persistence of potatoes that exacerbated the spread of blight, which led to the Great Hunger.
Many families depended on growing their own potatoes.
HARVEST & STORAGE
Flowers indicate that the tubers are nearly ready to harvest.
This early harvest is one of the rewards of growing potatoes.
Remove all the tiny tubers and completely remove the old plant and its roots.
Bits left behind will regrow and can spread disease.
Any damaged potatoes and small spuds should be eaten immediately.
Check stored potatoes regularly and remove any that show signs of decay.
Rotten potatoes have a very unpleasant rotten smell that alerts you to a problem.
Popular white-skinned varieties include Desiree, Dutch Cream, Kennebec, Kipfler and Nicola, all with white flesh.
Red-skinned varieties include Redskin and Pink Eye.
For something a little different, plant a blue-skinned potato such as Toolangi Delight.
