Time to plan fresh potatoes for Christmas dinner

Press, 6 October 1987, Page 42

Time to plan fresh potatoes for Christmas dinner

The most reliable method of ensuring vegetables are fresh is to grow them in your own vegetable patch. For the casual gardener there can also be few pleasures equal to being able to provide the potatoes for -the traditional New Zealand Christmas dinner. Novices should take -note that the next few weeks clustered about Labour Day are generally held to be the correct time for putting in potatoes. While many advisory columns and books proffer advice on the best times for planting out or placing seed the best rule of thumb is for the Individual to use their own judgment. There is such an

abundance of literature on gardening available in New Zealand bookshops

that few specific tips seem required. New homeowners are probably best to stick to the more general guides to gardening until they establish how keen they are likely to be on vegetable growing. However with the increasing emphasis on eating a healthy diet there does seem to be a revival of the traditional vegetable patch underway. One very easy project to set up is a small herb garden close to the kitchen. With the growing favour herbs enjoy as flav-

curings any costs are soon regained. There are also an in-* creasing number of homeowners growing their own vegetables during the warmer months to ensure a reliable supply of organic produce. Food grown without the use of pesticides or sprays is becoming increasingly popular. It does require a degree more of planning to grow this way however as older methods of keeping insects at bay are required. Systems such as companion planting (where one plant has a complementary effect on another species), are commonly used by avid organic gardeners. . The relaxation*'factor provided by light gardening should not be overlooked either. I, While the effort involved can be physically demanding many people find the side-effect of working the soil to be a ■ relaxing of the day-to-day worries and woes of our high-pressure society. Our gardens can provide one area where the choice of what will be done and when, can be shared between ourselves and the forces of nature.