Growing potatoes

For good yields of high quality potatoes, select sites with well-drained, loamy soil. Soils that are loose and easily tilled help to grow well-shaped tubers that are easier to harvest.

Tight of heavy soils lead to production of misshapen tubers that mature more slowly than in lither soil, and harvest is more difficult.
Planting potatoes in wet soils often results in poor emergence, and many times the tubers harvested from these fields do not store well.
Sites that are highly susceptible to erosion should be avoided for growing potatoes because of the tillage required prior to planting and the soil disturbance at harvest.
Cover crops such as rye or wheat often help to protect the soil during the winter. Rye or wheat should be planted at a rate of 100 to 120 pounds per acre by mid-October.

Of seeding of a cover crop is delay beyond mid-October the soil protection from the cover crop will be reduces, but the cover crop will still be the some benefit.

Proper crop rotation can greatly enhance potato quality by helping to reduce disease, insect, and weed problems and can help increase soil organic matter content.
Sites with inherently lower pH are better suited for growing potato than soil with a high pH.

Although potatoes grow well at higher pH, a disease called scab is more likely to cause an infection if the tuber when the pH is above 5.5. Therefore, the pH for growing white potatoes should be held below 5.5 if common scab is a problem.

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Posted on July 9th, 2009 under Growing potatoes. Tags: FIELD SELECTION, growing, Growing potatoes, Planting potatoes, soil, tubers. RSS 2.0 feed. Leave a response, or trackback.