9 May 2019 Potatoes (Planting)

[Durgan]

9 May 2019 Potatoes (Planting)
Posted on May 9, 2019 by Durgan
http://durgan.org/2019/May 2019/9 May 2019 Potatoes/HTML/ 9 May 2019 Potatoes
Forty four potatoes were planted. Thirty two for Winter storage and twelve for use fresh during the Summer. Expected harvest is about 3 to 5 pounds per plant. The type is purchased seed Norland and Yukon Gold. Row is 18 inches apart and spacing in the row is 16 inches.

 

[headfullofbees]

I planted 210 seed potatoes in the ground (deep) between 28th Feb and 20th April.
First earlies : 50 foremost 25 Casablanca 25 Maris Bard.
I accept lower yields on the earliest planted because last year's are past their best and I love the new potato flavour.
Unlike some 1st varieties, foremost can be stored at good eating quality

2nd Earlies: 21 Nadine good boiler, big crop, plenty at baking quality too.
14 Kestrel. A potato I grow a few of each year for good flavour, but also for texture, which makes them good for potato and meat pies and for potato, chickpea and spinach curry.

Maincrop: 50 Desiree, an excellent all-round potato which stores very well, but bulks up early for a maincrop, meaning I can get them in and stored before late blight strikes 20 Valor late maincrop with good blight resistance and excellent for chips (fries) and bakers.

I start harvesting these at the end of the month.

I planted some in the frost free greenhouse in pots in January, and these are being eaten at this time.

 

[Durgan]

What is your pounds per plant?

 

[headfullofbees]

1st earlies gradually improve from about 1.5lb at the start of June, to about 2.5-3lbs by the end of June and into July.
I accept the lower early yields because, at that stage, new potatoes in the shops can cost over £2/lb ~ C$3.50 and last year's stored are well past their best.
2nd earlies. Nadine ~ 6-7lb per seed, Kestrel 4-5lb
Maincrop: Desiree 4-6lb Valor 5-8lb

 

[Meadowlark]

Harvesting now here in East Texas. I dig a bucket at a time, 15 pounds of spuds per bucket. Running 10 pounds of new spuds per pound of seed spud. Typical year, but its really wet here and still have about 140 pounds in the ground to come out.

 

[Durgan]

Absolutely beautiful. I consider anything over 5 pounds per plant to be excellent. I have to baby them a bit to get five pounds.

 

[headfullofbees]

Remember how your light levels give you such an advantage over us with other solanaceae.
Remember also that more-often-than-not, our season is cut short with late blight, because of mild damp summers.
And moreover that different cultivars suit different growing conditions.
2 examples, Spunta, grown on the high in iron red soil of Cyprus, are delicious, similarly International Kidney, grown on the vraik in Jersey are good potatoes.
Both are tasteless washouts grown in the UK.

 

[headfullofbees]

Tonight and tomorrow's potatoes, just harvested. These are maris bard.