Joel_BC
Super Self-Sufficient
This year, we had unusually hot late spring weather, and relentless heat into early summer. Our Russet potatoes did well — I’m estimating six-to-one return (by weight), probably more. Low scab and no other obvious virus or bacterial problems. Other spud varieties all did quite disappointingly. Yukons which normally multiply very well for us, and tend to grow bulky, did not. German butterballs did not. French Fingerlings did not. No obvious disease problems in the tops or the tubers though. Harvest-wise, it was the weirdest year.
We of course hill the potato plants as they grow. This year, most varieties of spuds didn’t produce tubers up into the hilled soil. The Russets did more so than the others, but most varieties produced tubers deep in the ground.
All row soil got the same treatment at planting… the same as we’ve used very successfully many year into the past. All varieties got the same amount of irrigation, via sprinklers. The only advantage that I can guess, possibly, for the Russets was that they were in the far south end of our larger garden, thereby maybe getting more shade in mornings and afternoon for part of the season. (There’s a barn and some tall raspberry rows to the north of that first south-most spud row.)
I’ve tossed a wild guess that soil temperature, rather than irrigation water level, may have been the culprit. The higher temp may have evaporated moisture out of the soil more quickly.
We of course hill the potato plants as they grow. This year, most varieties of spuds didn’t produce tubers up into the hilled soil. The Russets did more so than the others, but most varieties produced tubers deep in the ground.
All row soil got the same treatment at planting… the same as we’ve used very successfully many year into the past. All varieties got the same amount of irrigation, via sprinklers. The only advantage that I can guess, possibly, for the Russets was that they were in the far south end of our larger garden, thereby maybe getting more shade in mornings and afternoon for part of the season. (There’s a barn and some tall raspberry rows to the north of that first south-most spud row.)
I’ve tossed a wild guess that soil temperature, rather than irrigation water level, may have been the culprit. The higher temp may have evaporated moisture out of the soil more quickly.
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