Getting on the ants trail

ready when the plants had flowered and set seed and the foliage had died down. This doesn’t apply to all varieties, especially the fast-maturing, early types, which often don’t flower at all. If you’re not sure whether yours are ready, gently poke your fingers into the soil around the edge of a plant. This is called bandicooting or tickling potatoes.

New potatoes have fine skin that rubs off easily. They don’t store well and are best eaten as soon

as possible. Three chitted ‘Swift’ potatoes planted at the end of September produced this haul (pictured) of evenly sized, waxy potatoes harvested on Christmas Day. Potatoes are one of my favourite crops to grow. They don’t take up too much space when grown in containers and harvesting them is like a treasure hunt. worm farm under trees and out of direct sunlight. Add a layer of wet corrugated cardboard, newspaper or a piece of old carpet to increase insulation from the heat. Keep the top layer damp with a light sprinkle from the hose, however don’t overdo it and make sure drainage is adequate as worms can drown if their bedding material becomes saturated. This column is adapted from the weekly e-zine, get growing, from New Zealand Gardener magazine. For gardening advice delivered to your inbox every Friday, sign up for Get Growing at: getgrowing.co.nz

cabbage tree leaves out of the roof gutters. But I gave myself a fright when I stepped off the second step thinking it was the bottom one. I did an ungraceful pirouette into a bag of prunings and collected a massive bruise on my hip.

Don’t follow my example, but remember these safety precautions. Don’t use a ladder that’s damaged or the wrong height. Ensure the base is secure. Don’t overreach or climb too high. Remember the three points of contact rule: two hands and one foot or two feet and one hand while climbing, and two feet and one hand when working.