The root of the matter
Growing root vegetables is an integral part of ‘Kitchen Gardening’ as, not only are they packed with varied nutrition but they also have the in-built ability to be stored, for reasonable periods of time, without having to resort to using electricity which, as we all know to our cost and personal discomfort, has a bad habit of playing hide-’n-seek throughout the rapidly approaching summer months.
Root vegetables, potatoes being a prime example, are excellent ‘ground breakers’ and soil improvers. As they grow, sending roots down and outwards, they work to break up the soil; plus, being deeper rooted than above ground veggies, such as cabbages, they seek out otherwise inaccessible minerals, taking them up into their own root systems and then into the above ground foliage from where, either via the breakdown of left behind fine roots when the crop is dug up or by composting of the stems and leaves, these precious resources are made available to other plants.
Let’s now take a look at some of the easiest to grow root vegetables:
Enhance your kitchen garden by growing root vegetables
- Potatoes: Soil should be rich in organic material — ideally this should be home-made, organic, compost mixed with old, well-rotted, organic manure — be in a well-drained, sunny location where air circulation is good. Poor air circulation can result in the formation of fungal diseases, such as blight, when humidity becomes high. Purchase ‘seed potatoes’ from your local seed store or buy good looking, medium sized potatoes from the bazaar. Lay these ‘seed potatoes’ — in trays or on newspaper — in a light, airy place until they have developed shoots no more than an inch long. Plant, preferably in rows running north to south for maximum sunlight on both sides of the plants, in trenches six to eight inches deep and rows 18 inches apart, heaping up any extra, excavated soil, in lines between the rows, as you go. Once the shoots appear above the soil, gently and carefully, cover them over, using an implement called a ‘draw-hoe’ if you have one or a rake; repeat this ‘heaping up / earthing up’ of the plants until the mounds are about eight to 10 inches high. This process helps encourage strong growth, both above and below the ground, increasing crop potential; plus, it helps ensure that all developing potato tubers remain covered. Any tuber, in full or in part, exposed to sunlight, turns green and this green part is poisonous and should not, therefore, be eaten. Keep the crop watered and free of weeds, mulch between rows if you can as this suppresses weeds, assists in keeping tubers covered and reduces the need for water during hot weather. Once the potato plants have flowered — they take a few weeks to reach this stage — they will, quite naturally, begin to yellow and die back. Once the plants have completely died back, carefully dig up your potatoes and prepare a mouth-watering treat like no other.
Potatoes can, throughout the plains and coastal regions of the country, be planted from August to November and again from January till the end of March. In hill stations and other mountainous areas, potatoes are spring planted only.