Welcome to The International Year of the Potato.  With the cost of grain – and food in general – wreaking havoc the world over, the International Year of the Potato is raising awareness of the key role played by the potato  in agriculture, the economy and world food security. 

Even more importantly it is promoting the  development of sustainable potato-based systems that enhance the well-being of producers and consumers and help realize the potato’s full potential as a “food of the future”. In other words, it’s teaching people to like spuds again.

The potato has been consumed in the Andes for about 8 000 years. Taken by the Spanish to Europe in the 16th century, it quickly spread across the globe: today potatoes are grown on an estimated 192 000 sq km, or 74 000 square miles, of farmland, from China’s Yunnan plateau and the subtropical lowlands of India, to Java’s equatorial highlands and the steppes of Ukraine.

The potato produces more nutritious food more quickly, on less land, and in harsher climates than any other major crop – up to 85 percent of the plant is edible human food, compared to around 50% in cereals.  Rich in carbohydrates, potatoes are a good source of energy and not many people realise they have the highest protein content (around 2.1 percent on a fresh weight basis) root and tuber family. 

What’s more it is protein of a fairly high quality, with an amino-acid pattern that is well matched to human requirements. They are also very rich in vitamin C – a single medium-sized potato contains about half the recommended daily intake – and contains a fifth of the recommended daily value of potassium. 

Not to mention that few things beat steaming hot mashed potatoes with a winter stew or buttery new potatoes at Christmas time.

So now that you’re ready to roll your sleeves up and start planting, let’s start with the basics.  While August to September is the best time to start planting if you are wanting Christmas potatoes, in the warmer parts of the country you can plant all year round. 

Ideally your soil should be well worked and well-drained with a pH of 5.0 to 6.8 and rich in potassium and phosphorus.  Talk to your local seed merchant about some soil testing if you’re unsure.  Avoid using lime as it raised the soil pH and can result in potato scab.

When planting cut large potatoes into pieces for planting or use whole seed potatoes egg-size or smaller.  

It’s a good idea to pre sprout seed potatoes before planting. This takes around a month with the potatoes laid out in a single layer, on a seed tray, in a warm, sunny sheltered spot. The potatoes turn green and sprouts appear from the “eyes”, which are small buds. The “eyes” grow into shoots. When the shoots are 3-4cm long, the potatoes are ready to plant.

Before planting remove all but the strongest shoots for planting.   Choose a sunny sheltered spot to grow your potatoes and add plenty of compost, peat or well rotted organic material added before planting.

Dig in a specially blended potato fertiliser at a ratio of 100g per square metre,  before leaving the plot to rest for a week. Dig trenches about 10 centimetres deep and spaced about 100 centimetres apart.

Place potato pieces in the trenches and cover them with compost and soil. Most potatoes need 90 to 120 days to reach maturity. You can begin to harvest as soon as the plants flower.

These are the small, thin-skinned potatoes we all love with the Christmas ham but they are just as nice simply boiled up during the week.

Dying foliage indicates potatoes have reached maturity so dig up tubers or store them in the ground for several weeks during cool, dry weather. If you planted your potatoes on a mulch mound, simply removed the straw and harvest your potatoes. Store potatoes in a dark, humid place for long-term (4 to 5 months) storage.