VARIETIES OF POTATOES

There are more than 500 types of potatoes, but they basically divide into two categories: floury and waxy. Floury potatoes are best for steaming, boiling and mashing, while waxy potatoes are best suited to roasting and potato salads. odd-looking sprouts – these are the beginnings of a new plant. Commercial growers only use “disease-free” tubers; however, in the home garden you can just use old potatoes that have sprouted.

They grow in any good garden soil.

Dig a trench 25cm deep to plant the tubers, cover with soil, then water – and watch for the green foliage to appear. The secret is to keep mounding, or hilling, the soil up around the foliage, to make sure the potatoes don’t poke out of the ground as they are growing.

It’s amazing to harvest potatoes, because as you dig (always carefully, so as not to stick a fork through any tubers) you will uncover dozens of lovely new potatoes.