Send in your gardening questions and be in to win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s! This week: how to grow potatoes.
Send in your gardening troubles to [email protected] and all questions answered on the Good website will win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s
Q: I would love to start to grow potatoes during the winter months and have been told this is possible. However is it possible to do this down south (Dunedin) during the colder months and if so what variety and care is best.
–Melanie
A: Successful potato crops need a few things, but the most important are warmth and no frosts. Excessive rain and cold soil will rot the tubers, while frost will destroy new growth. Some gardeners in the south do put the potatoes in the ground around late July; early varieties like Jersey Bennes, Maris Anchor or Ilam Hardy are good.
When it comes to planting, I would trench-plant them rather than the normal method of planting on top of the soil and heaping up the soil as they grow. You are basically planting below the current soil level and building it up as they grow. I usually dig the trench around a spade-head deep and 40-50cm wide. The length is determined by how many potatoes you have to plant and the available space. Once the trench is dug, you plant the prepared tubers into the soil at the bottom of the trench. This method also gives the plant a little more weather protection. I leave the excavated soil to one side, and use this soil to mound up around the potatoes as they grow.
You will still need to provide extra care around the cold weather, especially as the new shoots come through the soil. The trench method of planting also makes covering your crop a little easier. The difficulty you may have is getting them sprouted and ready to plant in July, as seed potatoes really only hit the stores around June and they need 6-8 weeks to sprout.
Check out the McGregor’s How to Guides – we include one on how to grow potatoes!
–Sandra Johnson, Team McGregor’s
McGregor’s is a passionate team of gardeners with collectively more than 100 years of gardening knowledge. They aim to provide affordable, good value quality products that make gardening tasks as easy as possible.
Team McGregor’s is committed to supporting the younger generation of today and does so through their partnership with the Garden to Table and 5+ a day trusts as well as the creation of the McGregor’s Seeds in Schools fundraiser, all to encourage homegrown produce and healthy eating.
Send in your questions and be in to win!
Send in your gardening troubles to [email protected] and all questions answered in this column will win a fabulous prize from McGregor’s! Melanie has won a McGregor’s garden spade to get her potatoes started.
A garden spade is possibly the most used tool in the garden. The McGregor’s steel tubular handle garden spade with its ergonomically designed handle will reduced the strain on your hands by giving you a more comfortable and natural grip. Its carbon steel construction will provide strength and durability.
