Seed Potatoes - Valor (7 tubers)
Delivery from: May - July
Valor potatoes are round/oval shaped with a slightly reddish-brown skin that washes white with shallow eyes. The flesh of Valor tubers are white. When in flower, it is a red violet colour. It has a medium to long growth period (90 - 110 days from emergence to natural foliage die-back). The Valor's maturity is mid-season and as a harvested crop, is perfect for all round cooking and making fries. The main culinary use of Valor is as a boiled potato. The texture is waxy and has little to no disintegration and discolouring when boiled.
Fun fact: potatoes are associated with fertility, abundance and regeneration.
Family: Solanaceae
Common name: nightshade, potato
Sun Exposure: Semi-shade
Type: Tuber
Planting depth: 10cm
Plant spacing: 30cm apart
Watering: Regularly, provided it hasn't rained
Position and soil
Loosen the soil to a depth of 30cm before planting and add compost.
Growing and caring for potatoes
The botanical name for potato is Solanum tuberosum and it can tolerate harsher conditions than most other plants. They also tolerate a range of different soils provided they have organic matter. After planting the potatoes, you should mound up the soil over the different tubers. If you live in an area that receives frost, plant potatoes from August - December. In areas without frost, planting of potatoes can begin as early as June.
Potatoes should receive regular watering. They grow in five different stages: sprouting; spreading leaves; tuber formation/flowering – cannot occur if temperature is above 27°C; bulking up of tubers and maturation.
Age, exposure to light, and damage to the potato can increase the presence of glycoalkaloids which is poisonous to humans and animals. If the potato tuber is green, do not eat it. Potatoes should be stored in a dry well-ventilated and cool place. The lowest temperature a plant can tolerate is 0°C.
