2 growing potatoes ready to be covered with more dirt<\/p><\/div>\n

<\/p>\n

Mulch the top of the soil to maintain soil moisture. The mulch also prevents the developing potatoes from getting green sunburn. The green is a toxin called solanin. Now wait until the plants have matured, flowered and the leaves begin to turn yellow.<\/p>\n

In hotter parts of NZ avoid growing potatoes in pots when the soil temperature is more than 25 degrees C as it is too warm for the roots. If you have a hothouse you will be able to \u00a0start a pot of potatoes in late autumn then grow them through the winter.<\/p>\n

Fertiliser<\/strong><\/h2>\n
Well-rotted manures and compost are required. Don\u2019t use fresh manure and avoid adding lime to the soil. You can also add liquid fertilisers (eg seaweed, compost tea) directly into the water gauge.<\/p>\n
Watering<\/strong><\/h2>\n
When the growing potatoes are rapidly developing, they will draw a surprising amount of water out of the reservoir. Refill when the water is low in the gauge. The self \u2013watering, wicking devices will ensure that the soil remains consistently moist. It is best to avoid splashing hose water and soil onto the plants as it will only encourage diseases. Stop watering after flowering.<\/p>\n
Harvesting<\/strong><\/h2>\n
After 70-100 days the foliage will start to die back, you can start harvesting by \u2018tickling\u2019 under the plant to check the size of the crop. Each original seed potato should yield a kg of spuds.<\/p>\n
Troubleshooting<\/h2>\n
Crop rotation\u00a0\u2013<\/strong> don\u2019t re-plant the same pot or soil with another crop of spuds as fungal spores can build up.<\/p>\n
Early blight <\/strong>\u2013 small spots on older leaves. It commonly occurs in warm, humid weather. Avoid wetting the foliage.<\/p>\n
Late blight<\/strong> \u2013 green, brown, black patches on the leaves. It is boosted along by humid weather and is difficult to contain.<\/p>\n
Tomato\/Potato psyllid <\/strong>\u2013 this is a new American invader that is also called \u2018zebra chip \u2018 disease. If the foliage turns yellow then remove all plants immediately from your place.<\/p>\n
What about using a stack of old tyres for growing in? <\/strong><\/p>\n
It is possible to grow spuds in a stack of old tyres, however I don\u2019t fancy eating food that has been in contact with the chemicals and heavy metal contaminants in the tyres.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Growing potatoes, chitting pretty with a spudtacular vegetable for \u2018no-dig\u2019 gardening Potatoes are one of the most productive vegetables and if you don\u2019t have much space they are easy to grow in a planter like a GreenSmartTM self-watering pot. You don\u2019t plant seeds; you plant parts of potatoes. … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3103,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[4],"tags":[202,199,46,58,201,204,197,116,200,198],"yoast_head":"\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\t\n\t\n\n\t\n