For potatoes we thought we’d get some tips from the expert – Paul Hoek of NZ Bulbs.
To start with, Paul says you need to purchase some seed potatoes. Seed potatoes look like regular potatoes but smaller. You can grab some from your local garden centre or, if you’re a fan of online shopping like we are, head to NZ Bulbs and get some delivered direct to your door.
NZ Bulbs has 12 different varieties of seed potatoes available including well known varieties like Jersey Benne, Agria and Rua. And gone are the days when you were obliged to purchase a 2kg bag of seed potatoes to get your own crop growing. At NZ Bulbs you can purchase them in quantities as small as 5 seed potatoes – perfect for a small family or those wanting to try growing a couple of different varieties.
Paul says the type of potato you choose to plant will depend largely on what you want to do with it and when you want to harvest.
“Potatoes vary in their make up. Some are called 'waxy' potatoes and these are lower in starch and hold together much better when cooking - they are more suitable for salads, boiling and casseroles. Others varieties are called 'floury' potatoes and these ones are higher in starch and ideal for wedges, chips, roasting and mashing. The earlier potatoes tend to be more the waxy types, and the later varieties more floury.”
If you're looking for a general purpose potato, Paul recommends trying Desiree or Rua varieties - these spuds are suitable for most uses. And if you want to ensure you’re serving home-grown spuds at Christmas, Paul suggests planting early potatoes such as Rocket, Swift, Jersey Benne and Cliff Kidney. These ones can be harvested after about 90 days so, if planted in September, will be ready for Christmas.
Once purchased, Paul says remove your seed potatoes from the bag or container and leave them in a light, dry place to sprout for a few weeks.
“A garage bench or garden shed is ideal.”
When the potato shoots are approximately 2cm long they're ready to plant. Before doing so, Paul recommends adding some compost to the soil and mixing well.
“A well composted garden will give you better results come harvest time as it makes the soil more friable and easier to work,” says Paul.
Next, dig a trench about 15cm deep in your garden and place the potatoes in the bottom of it - approximately 40cm apart.
“You don't need to fill the trench back up at this stage, just cover the planted potatoes with at least 5cm of soil. New spuds hate Jack Frost, so keep an eye on them and as the shoots start to push through, cover them a little more each week until you have turned your trench into a mound of 15-20cm in height.”
Paul says it’s important no light reaches the potatoes as this can affect how many potatoes the plant will produce.
“The more growing stem beneath the soil, the more opportunity for the plant to produce potatoes and the bigger your crop.”
Once a month mound the soil around the potato plant. Ensure 5cm of the plant's stem is left sticking out the top.
To keep diseases away, Paul says don't overhead water your potatoes excessively.
“Once planted the rain should be enough to keep them going until they're ready for harvesting.”
Paul also recommends covering your potato crop with some insect-proof netting which will keep out the potato-tomato psyllid, a small insect that can cause a lot of damage to tomato and potato crops.
“The netting is a perfect non-spray method to ensure your potatoes stay healthy and yield a great crop."
You can purchase some of this netting when you order your seed potatoes from NZ Bulbs. And the mesh sold by NZ Bulbs will last for many seasons as it is strong and UV resistant.
Because the plants can be attacked by the psyllid at any growth stage, Paul says to put the netting on the potatoes when you plant them and keep it on until you harvest.
"You can put the netting on loosely at the start or just loosen it as they get bigger. Just make sure the plants aren't pushing hard against it or being damaged and that it is tucked into the dirt securely on all edges.
In regards to when to harvest your potatoes, Paul says some gardeners believe you should harvest when the flowers on your potato plant begin to die off. However, some new spud varieties don't produce flowers so this method can be a little tricky.
“The best way to tell if your potatoes are ready is to dig a few up to check. Get out your fork and loosen the dirt around a few of your potato plants, put your hand in the soil and gently pull out a spud ensuring you don't break the shoot connecting it to the plant. If your potatoes are small, cover them up again with dirt and leave to mature further.”
Lastly, once you've harvested your potatoes, Paul recommends digging the plant back in to the ground.
“Potato plants produce nitrogen and digging them in increases your soil's nitrogen levels which is the most important element for good plant production and growth,” he says.
