The year of the spud

This year is the International Year of the Potato, aimed to raise the importance of the potato worldwide.

It is already the fourth most important food crop after maize, wheat and rice and some 7,500 varieties are available worldwide.

The potato is rich in carbohydrates, high in vitamin C and has a high potassium content. Nearly one third of all potatoes harvested are in China. Growing potatoes by amateur

gardeners has increased in recent years, particularly by growing them in containers, and potato buckets and potato growing bags are widely advertised at present.

Shropshire Organic Gardeners are holding their annual Potato Day on Saturday, February 9 at Nesscliffe Village Hall.

This has become a major event with gardeners from all over the region, who have the opportunity to choose from over 40 varieties of earlies, second earlies, maincrop and salad potatoes, most of which have been grown organically.

Whether you want potatoes for boiling, baking. roasting or chips you can select the best varieties for your needs.

The beauty of this event is that, if you wish, you can buy as many or as few tubers as you want to try, not a bagful as at many outlets.

Potato tubers are priced at 15 pence each so you can help yourself to as many as you like whilst stocks last. You may like to try a few in a pot, so three tubers for a 12 inch pot would be sufficient.

In fact more and more people are trying potatoes in containers these days and even polypropylene sacks.

The range of varieties at this event are probably far greater than anywhere in Shropshire and it gives a wonderful opportunity to not only stock up with your tried and tested favourite varieties but also to try something different.

I tried several new ones last year and was delighted with the results. ‘Anya’ was a lovely nutty flavoured salad potato and the first early ‘Orla’ yielded extremely well.

Organiser Val Oldaker explained: “After all the blight problems last year we expect sales of the blight-resistant Sarpo varieties to sell really well.”

Every year there are some new varieties on Offer. “Mayan Gold is a good flavoured yellow fleshed variety from Peru,” she explained.

For those that want a novelty then I see Edzell Blue is on the list, which is a blue/purple skinned old variety dating back to before 1915 and also Arran Victory with a similar colour.

Local potato guru Andy McQueen will be on hand to offer advice on all potato matters, as will the Shropshire Master Composters to answer all your composting queries. ‘Green Waste’ Compost will be on sale which is the remarkable product made from our green bin recycling scheme.

As usual there will be refreshments including lunches based mainly on potatoes and a raffle of organic vegetable boxes

Potato Day will take place at Nesscliffe Village Hall, between Shrewsbury and Oswestry on Saturday, February 9 at 10am until 3pm. Admission and parking is free.

GROUND RULES:

• Start cutting back herbaceous perennials where the tops have blown down due to strong winds
• Prune back any lateral growths on grape vines as soon as possible before the sap starts rising and they begin to bleed
• Sow sweet peas, broad beans and early salads under frost-free glass
• If the ground is fit, hand weed annual weeds such as bitter cress and chickweed, which are still growing, but avoid walking and compacting the soil
• Complete moving any deciduous shrubs and roses as soon as possible before spring comes

By Martin Ford