Potatoes - round two

Since "harvesting" the potatoes, we took the young plant that had only recently started and de-earwigged it! This involved getting a big tub of water, shoving the potato - cage and all - into the water and watching the earwigs float to the top. It was amazing just how many earwigs were in there! There were also other bugs, and even a little skink who was happy to be rescued from the "flood". ;)

We replanted the potato into a new cage, and Marty came up with this ingenious idea - he placed a piece of corrugated iron on top of 4 Nuttelex container traps (they have holes in the sides and the inside has oil in them - irresistible to the earwigs). Putting the potato on this should help keep out the earwigs, who aren't exactly very smart, just numerous.



Yesterday we did it again, 3 more times. :)



And this is the result - a very very healthy and happy little potato plant! We've been out there at night and there aren't any earwigs on the leaves at all.



Here's hoping for a better harvest from these guys! I have 4 seed potatoes left, and no room, so I'll be handing them over to Mum and see what she can do with them. Since she's beat us in harvest so far, I'm hoping these new potatoes will help catch us up! ;)