Everyone eats potatoes, but almost nobody grows their own. Jackie French demonstrated a simple way of making a potato patch in a corner of your backyard, that will produce kilos of potatoes.
Potatoes can be grown in all areas in Australia although plants grown in tropical districts can be subject to fungal diseases.
Late winter and early spring are good times to plant potatoes in most areas (wait until after frosts in inland areas). In tropical areas potatoes are best grown between January and August to avoid the more wet and humid parts of the year.
Expect to harvest in December from those plantings made in July or August. A second crop can be planted in late summer for potatoes in winter (around June).
You will need:
- at least two old tyres – try asking your local garage if you don’t have any lying around.
- hay, compost or potting mix.
- a seed potato (Diagram 1) – either a small, sprouting one from the vegie bin or certified virus free seed potato (available from garden centres and produce stores, for $4 to $6 for a 2kg pack). Note: In districts where certified seed potatoes are produced potatoes in home gardens must be grown from certified seed potatoes.
Getting started:
- Gather the tyres, but beware of spiders, such as red-backs, that can hide in the rims. Handle with care, and give the tyres a good hosing-out before they are used.
- Choose a patch of ground such as a corner of the garden where grass won’t grow, and place a tyre flat the ground.
- Put in a layer of hay or potting mix, then put in your seed potato.
- Bury the seed potato with more potting mix or hay.
- Add the second tyre and more layers of potting mix or hay as the potato grows. Keep well watered.
- The first potatoes should be ready in two to three months. To check, wriggle your hand down through the layers of mulch and soil until you feel potatoes on the roots. You can begin to harvest potatoes when they are quite small but these will not store and should be used straight away.
- Continue to add mulch, compost or hay to the potato patch for the time that the potato patch is productive (do not allow potatoes to be exposed to light).
- When your potato plant has flowered and starts to die down it’s time to harvest the full crop (around 16-20 weeks from planting). Simply kick the tyres aside and pick up your crop. The tyres can be stored until next time and the rich ‘soil’ can be used as mulch on the garden.
