Solanum tuberosum Potatoes

Planting position: Full sun. Spacing of 70cm between 15cm deep furrows and 30cm between plants.
Requires regular watering (less during germination period) by means of soaking, rather that sprinkling. Well-draining, compost-enriched loamy soil and generous layers of mulching and add 2:3:2 to preparing beds, at a rate of 250g.m ². Draw soil up around the established plants, but over a period of weeks, for if this is done too suddenly they may rot, and do not firm down.
Propagate from (government certified) tubers.
Harvesting is done from 5 months after transplanting and about one month after flowering, when with the yellowing of the lower leaves. Cut the top growth off, lift (well away from the plant) the potatoes up and provide immediate shading.
Pests, diseases and their cures: Thrips - spray with mercaptothion. Early blight and late blight - remove and burn infected plants and spray remaining ones with Mancozeb. Leafhoppers, Tuber moth and Aphids - spray with mercaptothion. Common scab and Corky scab - is found in soils with an incorrect pH.

This vegetable need no introduction for it is widely eaten in boiled, fried, baked, steamed and other forms. The potato plant has upright stems with leaves of 4 leaflets. The whitish fleshed and white, red or yellow skinned tubers are of round-, kidney- or oval shape. The edible, swollen tubers are also used for liquor fermentation and the producing of flour.