Potatoes!

My little box of pre-ordered "Buffelspoort" seed potatoes arrived in the post this past week! The 8 "Mondials" that have been chitting for some time are ready to go in too.

I now need to earnestly decide where they're going! Spuds take up quite a bit of the Veggie Patch for a long time. I'm thinking maybe the remainder of the old Veggie Patch as the beds are ready (just need a bit of weeding or mulching to smother the unwanted weed growth). I've designed this plan using the free trial software offered by GrowVeg. It's really a great, easy to use programme that saves lots of time helping you figure out how many plants fits in an area etc.

I would love a yearly subscription (it's under R200) as they are geared for the southern hemisphere and send planting reminders via e-mail amongst others ;-)

 I've learnt a few things so far concerning chitting: Don't chit potatoes in a dark dry place but in a light cold place if you want healthy green growth. And secondly don't chit them at all if you want a staggered harvest. I'm thus going to put the "Buffelspoort" in as is.

Two more things to remember when planning the potatoe patch: Potatoes and legumes (beans and peas), mealies (maize) and also Lovage and mustard (herbs) are good companions. The legumes add nitrogen to the soil and the mustard deters pests. Tomatoes and pumpkins however are bad companions, do not plant them in the same bed as your potatoes as they will stunt each other's growth.

And finally, potatoes need to be "hilled-up" (in Afrikaans "op ge-ert" = "ertappels") to ensure a good crop. Planting them in stacked tyres and specially designed wooden boxes all help make it a little easier to do so, however there is speculation that tyres leach zinc into the soil. These remain helpful if your Veggie Patch is small as they can be put on paving or even the lawn as long as it's a sunny spot and they are kept well watered.