2017 Growing German Butterball and Yukon Gold
For the 2017 growing season, we are growing...
"German Butterball" ...........and............. ....."Yukon Gold"..... 10 each from seed in rows side by side raised bed [I]chitted[/I] both hilled up twice already (not sure if this was a mistake) there is about 4-6" of plant above ground Yukon Gold seems to have taller/more vigorous plants and generally bigger leaves |
I'm excited about the potatoes this year. We don't normally grow them from seed. (Sometimes we have volunteers we dig up.) Now we have a whole bed.
Is there any maintenance from now until harvest besides watering (and maybe weeding)? Since they are in a raised bed, I can keep "hilling" them up until the bed is filled to the top, but that would be a lot of soil. Is there a limit to hilling up and would it really help? |
Hill them once about 6".
Leaf hoppers will set them back if they come in bad and can bring virus, but have not been too destructive out east. Pyrethrin takes them out. Smash the potato bugs and orange eggs under the leaves. Spinosad can work if you are not a picker/smasher. Mulch can deter potato beetle somewhat, they like soil beneath the plants. Mulch after hilling if you do. Watch for late blight, I spray mine with same foliage spray as tomato. Find the recipe for uncle bills potatoes and onions online. |
We've never really seen disease or pests on the potato volunteers but we have never grown them in any substantial number. Hilling is a new thing for us. They are really taking off since chitting them and we already hilled twice. Once when 8", filling in the trench which was about 4". Then a week later adding another 2-3" of barky soil/mulch and mounding around the plants, leaving about 4" exposed.
|
German butterball are delicious! I haven't grown potatoes in a while, but did for many years. They were one of my favorites.
|
Thanks
Thanks for your input. Looking forward to it more now. :)
|
All times are GMT -4. The time now is 12:52 PM. |
★ Tomatoville® is a registered trademark of Commerce Holdings, LLC ★ All Content ©2022 Commerce Holdings, LLC ★