It may be too early to plant the potatoes in the garden but it is not too early to start thinking about it. Potatoes are a staple in many gardens, probably because they are easy to grow, requiring moderate maintenance, and are easy to eat! There are many different varieties of potatoes that come in various shapes, sizes, colours and season (early, mid, and late). The first step is finding a variety (or varieties) that is right for you.
Early season varieties are potatoes that require the shortest growing season to mature and are ideal for fresh summer eating. Varieties include the very early 'Warba,' red skinned 'Norland', purple skinned 'Caribe', 'Carlita' which is organic, and our family favourite 'Sieglinde'
Mid Season varieties take a little longer to mature and include red skinned 'Chieftain', ''Red pontiac', and 'Sangre', white skinned 'Kennebec' and 'Shepody', russet skinned 'Goldrush', Yellow fleshed 'Yukon Gold', and gourmet 'French Fingerling' and 'Cecile'
The late season varieties take the longest time to mature, they include, yellow fleshed 'Bintje', gourmet variety 'Banana', blue flesh/skin 'Russian Blue', 'Nicola' which has a low GI making it a good choice for diabetics, red skinned 'Sangre' and 'Peregine', and the russet 'Ranger Russet'
It is always important to purchase and plant certified seed potatoes as these will be disease free. Some gardeners like to carry over their own seed potatoes from one season to the next but these could be diseased which will result in poor crop yields.
Seed potatoes come in different sizes. Potatoes that are smaller then 85 g should be left whole. The larger seed potatoes can be cut into smaller pieces but each piece needs 2-3 eyes. After the seed has been cut, allow it to air dry for a day before planting it, so that the cut area can form a crust, lessening the chance of disease getting into the seed potato.
When it comes time to plant the seed potatoes, wait for the garden soil to warm up before planting. If the soil is wet and cold there is a larger chance of the seed potato rotting in the soil. You also want to make sure that the risk of frost has passed by the time the new growth emerges from the soil as the new growth will be affected by a frost. Depending on where you live, and the weather conditions, potatoes are generally planted around the middle of May. There is a way of getting a head start on the season, and it is called green sprouting. Basically, it is getting the seed potato to grow sprouts before it is planted in the ground. We do this to our potatoes that we plant in the home garden. Around three weeks (early May) before we plant the seed potatoes in the garden we place a single layer of seed potatoes in a large open box. The box is then placed in a warm, well-lit space. The seed potatoes will produce short, dark green sprouts. The seed potatoes are then planted in the usual way, being careful not to break off the newly developed sprouts.
The seed potatoes are becoming available in the garden centres now.
