Potato cultivations

[chester]

Doing a bit of a project on potato cultivations and it would be of great help if you could list the cultivations you do for your potato crop in order and depth you do them.
On our light ground we will use a Lemken Karat once or twice to 130mm and then bedform to about 330mm and then destone to 270mm. We aim to have a minimum of 50 mm of separated soil under the seed tuber and 180mm from the top of the tuber to the ridge surface.
On heavier ground we used to plough to 200mm and then roll and then use a SKH crumbler once or probably twice with rolling in between. We would then bedform and bed till to 270mm before separating. Then we dropped the plough and use the SKH crumbler twice, first pass about 80 mm, second pass about 110mm then we would do a third pass with the Lemken Karat at about 170mm and then a fourth pass at about 250mm with rolling taking place between some or all of the passes. This would then be followed by bed forming and bedtilling to 270mm and then finally separating to 270mm. This has given us better seedbeds but is very time consuming and difficult to manage and can be exposed to getting rained on. Would like if other people would share their techniques please.

 

[legin]

We're all light land. Once with sub-disc at 15 inches, bedform at 13 inches and destone at 11 inches approx. You seem to do a lot of passes on heavy ground.

 

[Sonoftheheir]

Plough 11” with subsoilers 6” underneath, leave over winter. Straight in with rotary cultivator forming beds behind with about 11” of loose soil to plant into. May have to do two passes. Black fen with heavy hills in places.

Plant at about 20cm from ridge top.

 

[chester]

Thanks for your replies, most helpful. Any body on heavier ground care to share their strategy?

 

[Scragger]

Herefordshire…pretty heavy in places, sumo 8”, plough11”, back through again with sumo and again if needed at about 12”, ridge it up and then get the bedtiller in to smack it about, destone to about 10/11” and finally pop them in, most varieties go in at about 9” deep, jobs a good’un

 

[snipe]

plough 12 inch over winter. deep cultivate12inch in spring with tracked tractor. Cultipress if drying out too much. Bedtiller straight in Or bed form first if still too wet. Destone. Plant.