Early-Main Potato Nadine
Early-main crop potato, 80-90 days from planting. White skin and flesh, a waxy potato, ideal for boiling and salads.
Plant in deep trenches when frosts have passed, gradually filling in the trench as the shoots emerge, eventually mounding over the top.
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Potatoes ship soon after ordering, separate from any other items on the same order.
Potatoes are a must-have vegetable in the garden. They’re a tasty and versatile addition to any meal and not much beats home-grown potatoes at Christmas lunch or dinner.
Preparation: Once purchased, remove the seed potatoes from the bag or container and leave them in a light, dry place to sprout for a few weeks – somewhere like a garage bench or garden shed is ideal. When the shoots are around 2cm long they’re ready to plant. Before doing so, add some compost to the soil and mix well. A well composted garden will give you better results come harvest time as it makes the soil more friable and easier to work.
Planting: Dig a trench about 15cm deep and place the potatoes in the bottom of it - approximately 40cmapart. Don’t fill the trench back up, just cover the planted potatoes with at least 5cm of soil. New spuds hate Jack Frost, so keep an eye on them and as the shoots start to push through, cover them a little more each week until the trench has been turned into a mound of 15-20cm in height. The more growing stem beneath the soil, the more opportunity for the plant to produce potatoes and the bigger the crop..
After Planting: Once planted cover the crop with some insect-proof netting which will keep out the potato-tomato psyllid, a small insect that can cause a lot of damage to tomato and potato crops. The netting is a perfect non-spray method to ensure the potatoes stay healthy and yield a great crop. Because the plants can be attacked by the psyllid at any growth stage, put the netting on the potatoes once planted and keep it on until harvest. Put the netting on loosely at the start or loosen it as they get bigger. Make sure the plants aren’t pushing hard against it or being damaged and that it is tucked into the dirt securely on all edges. Once a month mound the soil around the potato plant. Ensure 5cm of the plant’s stem is left sticking out the top. To keep diseases away don’t overhead water the potatoes excessively. Once planted the rain should be enough to keep them going until they’re ready for harvesting.
Harvest The best way to tell if the potatoes are ready is to dig a few up to check. Use a fork and loosen the dirt around a few of the potato plants, gently pull out a spud ensuring the shoot connecting it to the plant doesn’t get broken. If the potatoes are small, cover them up again with dirt and leave to mature further.
For detailed information see our Fact Sheet on Potatoes.
