POTATOES:

Te Ao Hou, August 1957, Page 57

POTATOES: This is perhaps the most important vegetable grown. Fairly good crops can be obtained in any reasonably fertile soil, virgin land being preferable. The season for planting in warm districts is usually extended, although this is governed by climatic conditions as the potato is a tender subject, and will not stand frosts. The position for early crops must be warm and dry in full sun. Indeed, this rule must be applied all through as the potato does not like shade or damp conditions. For the home garden, deep digging is essential; the soil must be friable and rich with ample manure such as bone dust and basic slag in equal quantities with a small addition of sulphate of potash. This should be applied at the rate of 3oz. to the square yard. This manure should be incorporated in the soil several weeks before planting and not placed in the drills, as planting potatoes on top of raw fertilizer will have a detrimental effect on the resultant crop. In this case, the manurial value is lost owing to the fact that the depth of application is below the majority of feeding roots which tend to spread out and away from the plant. It will also be noticed that after several moundings have taken place, the depth of the first application of manure is very far below the actual plant. Always broadcast the manure and work into the surface soil and always select your sets for planting with care. The best tubers for selection should be from 1½ ozs to 2 ozs in weight. They must be sprouted, that is they should show one or two shoots when planting. Potatoes should be planted in drills about 3 feet apart and about 12 inches apart in the rows—5 or 6 inches being the usual depth. Four weeks after planting, hoe between the rows and when the plants are about 4 to 6 inches tall earth up. Continue the operation between intervals according to their growth. All weeds must be kept in check. Potatoes must be sprayed with cuprox at the same rate as for tomatoes, that is 4 ozs to 5 gallons of water. Spray regularly as spraying does not cure an infection of blight, it is a preventive measure only. When digging potatoes, care should be taken not to bruise the skin, otherwise it will impair their keeping qualities. Digging should not take place before the plants have turned brown and are dry, if the potatoes are to be stored for the winter. A bright sunny day should be selected for digging, and the tubers should be given a couple of hours to dry before being gathered for storing in a dry cool dark place.