Anybody here grow Yukon Gold spuds?

[Joel_BC]

I just harvested the first of six potato varieties we're growing this year, Yukon Golds (which matured earliest). Last year, we lost about 35% of that variety to fusarium, which is a sort of rot in the tubers and a wilting of the above-ground portion of the plant. A section of the tuber, when it was worst, looked caved-in and blackish. I didn't try save any of the affected tubers, just burned them all in a scrap fire.

This year, something more like about 5% seemed to have it, even though I started with new, clean seed spuds — and planted them in a different patch. The Yukons, though, have no tendency toward scabbing (unlike, say, Russets) and that's definitely nice.

Anyone grow Yukons, and have you ever heard that they're especially prone to fusarium?

 

[frustratedearthmother]

I have grown them - several years ago. I didn't have any problems with them here, but I'm a little south of you. Like south of Houston! They did well for me, but that was my one and only experience with them. That was a year when everything in the garden did well.

 

[Joel_BC]

I have grown them - several years ago. I didn't have any problems with them here, but I'm a little south of you. Like south of Houston! They did well for me, but that was my one and only experience with them. That was a year when everything in the garden did well.

"Like south of Houston!" Yeah, you are in a different locale.

Well, I've grown Yukons many times and mostly had pleasing results. When I look back, I may have had fusarium in spuds and had it too lightly (maybe less than the mere 5% of my Yukons that have it this year), and hence just tossed the few individual spuds out without identifying that there was "a problem". I believe that last year it was only the Yukons that were damaged.

It'll be interesting to see what the other varieties in the potato patch turn out like this year.