Kia Ora, This is our second year of running this heritage potato collection trial with the aim of nourishing them so well they will grow out of having viruses, and small crops etc. This is the alternative we see (based on the principles of epigenetics), to tissue culturing them to remove viruses, as most others are doing. I do not see tissue culturing as a long term solution (reducing genetic diversity and removing plants from the process of co-evolution) or even a short term solution for ordinary gardeners, because of cost.

Our New Zealand heritage potato collection has been endangered in recent years by a lack of effective rouging and selection and the recent arrival of the psyllid and so we are endeavouring to strengthen them again, back to having heavy crops as they used to do years ago. We made a lot of progress last season, through heavy rouging, selection and super nourishment, and we were very happy with the results. To see last season’s report and the grow out trial process click here.

We’ve been learning how to grow soldier fly larvae to feed our chickens. We began by simply putting a bucket of kitchen scraps in the garden with a lid that had a small gap between it and the bucket, and some corrugated cardboard for the adults to lay their eggs.

This year has been a great season for our Jerusalem Artichoke collection. We have the usual variety that is fairly common in NZ, and several other varieties in our 2013 trial, to see differences between them.

One of the new cultivars came from my plant collection trip around Pouto with Logan Forrest. It came from an old Dalmatian family’s garden right on the harbour’s edge. Another is common around the South Island and has been sent in by several members and came from the old whitebaiter’s huts around Whataroa, and another was sent in by a member. They all have colour on their skins. One looks as though it will have purple tips, another more pink/red tips and the third looks as though it is going to have red skins with white tips!

We are in our second year of running our heritage potato collection through a trial with the aim of nourishing them so well they grow out of having viruses, and small crops etc etc. Our New Zealand heritage potato collection has been endangered in recent years by the psyllid and so we are endeavouring to strengthen them again back to having heavy crops as they used to do years ago. We made a lot of progress last season and were very happy with the results.

NZ Heritage Potatoes in Danger! 



Over the past 20 years it has become increasingly apparent that our heritage potatoes are deteriorating (far smaller crops from each potato planted with far more evidence of disease and pest issues), and since the introduction of the psyllid, (which brings a host of damaging viruses) the problem has dramatically worsened.