Potato crop progress

[alpha 1]

Blight spraying tatties last week and thought i'd have a few plants pulled up to check tuber growth,wasn't to taken on with size,varieties are piper and cultra,just wondering how other stuffs doing ?

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Not much size yet here in piper. They don't normally bulk till September here.

Very sorry to see my piper and Agria going rotten in the ridge now where the wet holes are. We've had 106mm of rain in 10 days.

 

[jamesy89]

We are harvesting piper near mildenhall, Suffolk. 17-18 ton/ac. Good for this time of year and price good too.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Who you working for @jamesy89 ?

 

[Farmer Dod]

Duke of Yorks almost ready for lifting and selling- just small enough yet but should be fine for new week. Don't think yield will be too exciting but not many rots or scabby ones so at least there's not a lot of throw out.

Everything else is a while away- not much bigger than chats. We had most of the seed crops burnt down this time last year and even then it was almost too late! What a difference a year makes.

 

[Niels]

North half of Holland: Plenty rain, less tubers, yield average to ok/good. Especially after irrigation 2-3 times.

South half of Holland: Virtually no rain, very few tubers, yield average to poor. Especially as irrigation can't be used everywhere.

Second growth is now an issue due to the changing weather. Belgium, France and Germany still bone dry!?

 

[Farmer Dod]

Weather seems to be so variable this year usually all Europe is dry or wet but this year different parts of different countries seem to be struggling with drought or too much rain yet even the next county can have the opposite problem.

The fun and games of growing potatoes- don't you feel you're missing out on something this year @KennyO ?

 

[KennyO]

Weather seems to be so variable this year usually all Europe is dry or wet but this year different parts of different countries seem to be struggling with drought or too much rain yet even the next county can have the opposite problem.

The fun and games of growing potatoes- don't you feel you're missing out on something this year @KennyO ?

Like a hole in the head!

Just dismantled the grader to make more space for grain at harvest time- grader and drier in same shed.

Had to venture into neighbour's tattie field yesterday cause he couldn't get up the brae with his sprayer and needed a bit of Blue power to help his green machine! Cousin (who has the tatties here now) has his sprayer parked in our yard as we got 10-15mm of rain when his man arrived for the blight spray today.

 

[Mr chips]

Ours where ready for the rain had 30mm over the last three days . Digs look good applied Fazor last week . Should be lifting Shepody in three weeks.

 

[alpha 1]

Was speaking to our tattie agronomist today,he recons that a lot of stuff ain't even going to meet average yields judging by their test digs,lack of number being the main issue.In the long run this may help size though.

 

[Farmer Dod]

Was speaking to our tattie agronomist today,he recons that a lot of stuff ain't even going to meet average yields judging by their test digs,lack of number being the main issue.In the long run this may help size though.

Definitely noticed this when rogueing, fewer tubers than you'd expect.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Was speaking to our tattie agronomist today,he recons that a lot of stuff ain't even going to meet average yields judging by their test digs,lack of number being the main issue.In the long run this may help size though.

Dug a few Agria, usually 9 tubers per plant, this year about 4-5.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

North half of Holland: Plenty rain, less tubers, yield average to ok/good. Especially after irrigation 2-3 times.

South half of Holland: Virtually no rain, very few tubers, yield average to poor. Especially as irrigation can't be used everywhere.

Second growth is now an issue due to the changing weather. Belgium, France and Germany still bone dry!?

Looks like we will be getting football sized Agria seed then? That's if there is any for us!!

 

[Niels]

Looks like we will be getting football sized Agria seed then? That's if there is any for us!!

Don't hold me on this one but yes it might. Middle of the country I hear lots of low tuber counts. North is possibly a little better as they had more rain but in general I think larger seed size indeed. Only plus for seed is the fact that it's been dry and warm so far this year which means better plants and less trouble.

 

[ridger]

We need a few weeks sun over here to dry the potatoes out a bit, the size of the queens is not bad but they aren't dry to eat

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Don't hold me on this one but yes it might. Middle of the country I hear lots of low tuber counts. North is possibly a little better as they had more rain but in general I think larger seed size indeed. Only plus for seed is the fact that it's been dry and warm so far this year which means better plants and less trouble.

An expensive price to match too probably then. We will see.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Still on my hols, how are the spuds looking?

Dad says they're pretty wet.

 

[chipchap]

No shortage of moisture here on the Welsh border.

 

[ridger]

8 ton boxes graded into 3 tons once soil was taken out

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Lowest planted area ever? 111K ha?