Skip to Content.
Sympa Menu

market-farming - Re: [Market-farming] New potatoes in the rain

market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org

Subject: Market Farming

List archive

Chronological Thread  
  • From: Allan Balliett <aballiett AT frontiernet.net>
  • To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
  • Subject: Re: [Market-farming] New potatoes in the rain
  • Date: Thu, 11 Jun 2009 06:31:11 -0400

My remarks were from experiences with the often recommended 'make a loose bed, just push the seed potatoes in the ground and then cover heavily with old hay. I have done this into beds that received compost in the fall. I have never done it with formulated fertilizer in the spring, so there can be other factors at play in my experience. I've certainly never found loose clean potatoes in the hay mulch though. Most of the spuds would be laying on the surface of the soil even though the plants had very well penetrated the mulch

You say that you didn't get much yield with hay mulch, Allan? Is that compared with hilling or some other kind of mulch? How did you plant the potatoes? Into a furrow or on the ground with dirt hilled up on top of them or some other method? I planted my paltry 500 lbs. by hand, on the ground, then threw dirt on top with my hilling discs on my Super C. I suppose I could hill them once more, then roll out round bales on top. Or I could try several treatments and see which works best.

Kurt Forman
Clearview Farm
Palmyra, NY 14522

--- aballiett AT frontiernet.net wrote:

From: Allan Balliett <aballiett AT frontiernet.net>
To: Market Farming <market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org>
Subject: Re: [Market-farming] New potatoes in the rain
Date: Mon, 8 Jun 2009 10:15:31 -0400

How thick does the mulch need to be over the plants, Pat? I have
some old round hay bales I thought I would try, in spite of any
potential weed seeds imparted from them. Unlike you early birds, my
spuds planted on 5/23-24 are just emerging. Do you think I will
hurt the plants, if I roll hay on top of them as they are just
coming out of the ground? I formed small hills at planting with my
hilling discs.

if they are under 5 inches and stout, I've rolled over them before
and it's worked just fine. I just didnt' get much yield with hay mulch
_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming



_______________________________________________
Market-farming mailing list
Market-farming AT lists.ibiblio.org
http://lists.ibiblio.org/mailman/listinfo/market-farming





Archive powered by MHonArc 2.6.24.

Top of Page