Time is running out to plant potatoes, Jerusalem artichokes tubers, strawberries and rhubarb, these must go in soon, so if you haven’t ordered them get in quick before they sell out. We like Green Harvest, Diggers and Green Patch Seeds or your local nursery. At this time of year you can also plant horseradish (deep rooted perennial), ginger (shade loving perennial likes moisture and heat), asparagus (long living perennial 10 plants is enough for a family of 4 to have once a week during spring), comfrey (the best organic fertiliser there is) and Yucon or ground apple (hardy plant to 2m with edible tubers).
Potatoes
Gourmet potatoes are still available from mail order companies such as Diggers. They have a great combo pack for $32, which includes my favourites such as Desiree, Nicola for baking, King Edward for roasts, Kipfler for salads, Royal Blue for the wow factor and new Cranberry Red. You get 48 tubers in total.
Chit potatoes first by sprouting them in the kitchen. Plant potatoes 30cm apart, 10cm deep into loosened soil after frosts are over. Add organic matter and compost to soil. As they grow, hill up the soil around them to exclude light.
Harvest new potatoes when to tops die down in summer. One seed potato yields 10 potatoes minimum sometimes up to 30 potatoes in perfect cold climates (such as Robertson). Forgotten tubers will grow again in summer and you can dig them up throughout autumn and into winter, these are called ‘maincrops’ and should be tug up and stored in wet winters.
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