GARDENING:The United Nations is paying homage to the life-giving qualities of the mighty spud , writes Jane Powers
RIGHT NOW, IN CASE you didn't know, we are in the thick of the United Nation's Year of the Potato. This fine, edible tuber, according to the UN Food and Agriculture Organisation, is an important element in providing food security and fighting poverty, especially in the developing world, where land is limited, but labour is abundant. It yields more food, more quickly, and on less land than any other major crop. The mighty spud is rich in energy-giving carbohydrates, and in many vitamins and minerals (including plenty of vitamin C and potassium), and it is also a source of protein. Further characteristics that should endear it to those in the health-conscious first world are that it is low in fat, and offers double the fibre of brown rice.
We have a special relationship with the potato in Ireland, not least because of the painful legacy that the Famine has left on our collective consciousness. Many of us still eat potatoes every day. On average, we get through 107kg of spuds a year: more than the Germans, Dutch, French, Belgians, Italians, Spanish and Danish. The Poles, however, and those living in former Soviet countries, consume greater quantities than we do - as do our nearest neighbours in Britain. The Belarussians are the top potato-eaters in the world, polishing off a hefty 338kg per person, per annum. In other continents, only the Rwandans (125kg each year) match - or come anywhere near to - European levels of consumption.
Of course, in Ireland, punctilious people have already put their seed spuds into the ground on St Patrick's Day, as is traditional. The rest of us, however, have not. But, never mind. It's okay to plant potatoes any time this month, and even into May - although the sooner, the better, if you want to avoid blight. They like a fertile soil, but don't add fresh manure, as this can attract slugs. Home-made garden compost is one of the best feeds you can give a crop of potatoes.
If you've "chitted" your spuds, then congratulations: they'll get along faster, leafing up more quickly and making tubers earlier - which means you can lift them before slugs or blight can claim them. To "chit" - besides being one of those toothsome words that is specific to horticulture - means, simply, to let your seed potatoes sprout. Pop them into an old egg carton, "rose" end up (the end with the most eyes) and leave them in a frost-free, bright place such as a greenhouse, porch or unheated room.
In an ideal world, you would have chitted your spuds in February, and planted them after about six weeks, when the shoots were a couple of centimetres long. However, if you haven't done so, there's always next year to get it right. Or you can even chit your maincrop potatoes for a couple of weeks now, if by some chance your vegetable patch isn't ready to receive them yet.
Which brings us nicely to the different groups of potatoes: earlies and maincrops. The former may be further divided into first earlies and second earlies, while the latter are sometimes designated as early or late maincrops. Earlies are ready for harvesting within 10 to 15 weeks of planting, while maincrop kinds are slower to mature, taking between 15 and 22 weeks. You don't have to plant earlies early, but some of them are prone to blight - Sharpe's Express, Home Guard and Duke of York, to mention just three popular varieties. So it's a good idea to get them in and out of the ground before trouble can strike, and to get another food crop into the newly-vacated soil.
Don't plant tomatoes, aubergines or peppers immediately afterwards, as they are members of the same family as potatoes (Solanaceae), and may be prone to the same diseases. Potatoes may be attacked by an impressive number of pests and pathogens - which is why it is more important to practise rotation with these tubers than with most other crops. If possible, allow three or more years to elapse before you plant potatoes in the same bit of ground.
Late blight, of course, is the most dramatic threat to the spud. The fungal spores are most active during humid, warm weather. The first signs are roundish, brown or black spots on the leaves, which may be followed by their yellowing and collapse, and by the eventual destruction of the tubers. If your crop is badly hit (with more than a quarter of the foliage affected), cut away all the leaves and stems and bin them, or compost them (but only if you have a covered and very active composting operation). Wait two or three weeks before harvesting the potatoes: this allows the spores to disperse harmlessly. Some gardeners spray their crops with fungicides, but this is not necessary if you grow early varieties and get them out of the ground before hot summer weather, or if you grow blight-resistant kinds.
Among the latter are the Irish-bred Orla (first early), Cara (early maincrop) and Druid (late maincrop), as well as Remark (early man-trap), Volar and Verity (both late man-trap). But the most awesome of the blight-resistant potatoes are the Swapo kinds, bred in Hungary, initially in a state-run research station, and then by the private efforts of the Sárvári family. Last summer, one of the blotchiest in years, I saw plants of Swapo Mari and Swapo Axone (both pink-skinned, floury man-trap varieties) standing tall, green and proud, while all around them, their fellow potatoes were reduced to tatters. The garden was near Clonakilty, one of the worst-hit areas during the Famine.
You probably won't find any more Swapo on sale this year (they are understandably popular), but put them on your list for next season. And give these heroic tubers a and all their spudaceous brethren - a cheer now, in the Year of the Potato. jpowers@irish-times.ie
Diary date
An exhibition, The Potato, runs at the National Botanic Gardens in Glasnevin, from April 10th to June 4th. It looks at the tuber's origins in the Andes, its history, and the role played by the Botanic Gardens in discovering the causes of the potato blight during the Great Famine. www.internationalyearofthepotato.ie
The Alpine Garden Society annual show and plant sale at Cabinteely Community School, Johnstown Road, Dublin 18, today 1.30-4pm. Admission €3. www.
alpinegardensociety.ie