Taters, a complete failure again.......

[Sedgehammer]

I just dunno. I planted the most resistant to blight and nope, gone, gone, gone. Even planted Elba which supposedly allegedly has really good natural resistance....... ???

the rest of you have any issues and if so, what do you do

[mike_belben]

I had 3 fails and the first win this season.. I didnt actually plant them they just volunteered from composted dirt with store bought potatoes in them so i grew them out.  Idahos and russets. 


All of my problems wire conquered by making better and better dirt each year. I guess plants just get strong enough to endure pressure when theyre getting what they need.  I havent used any pesticide or anything this year.  Had all the normal pests but they didnt kill anything. 

[PoginyHill]

I've grown potatoes nearly all my life. Colorado potato beetles have always been a problem. The first year or two in a new spot may be bug-free, but they'll find them eventually and destroy the crop if not dealt with. Pick 'em by hand or insecticide. Commercial growers add a systemic chemical when planting that becomes part of the plant and kills the bugs that eat the leaves. I've been hit with blight only a couple times - during really wet years. If you're in a wet climate, you can apply a fungicide; but needs to be done ahead of time. Fungicide is useless once the plants are hit. The other thing is soil pH. The more acidic the better. I add sulfur every year to my soil. Healthier plants and less scabs on the tubers.

[Firewoodjoe]

I planted in my cow pasture this year. 64 mounds. 60 grew. Very good. 2-4" potatoes already. Bugs hit them hard and I sprayed with dish soap water three times then gave up. All leave are about gone but still made potatoes. My plan is to grow lots every other year and put in a different cattle pasture to try and fool the bugs🤷🏼‍♂️

[welderskelter]

Not to brag but I think I found a way around the tater bugs. I dig a trench then put in taters. Put on about 2 inches of dirt. Let come up about 6 in. then hill , then put on about 4 inches of wheat straw. I even cover the walkway to keep down the weeds. After eating the taters. Just till in. the straw.Havent had bugs for two years now. Didnt need to do anything this year though. I think I seen a few earlier then it seems it got to hot for them.Try it nothing to loose.

[Sedgehammer]

I planted in my cow pasture this year. 64 mounds. 60 grew. Very good. 2-4" potatoes already. Bugs hit them hard and I sprayed with dish soap water three times then gave up. All leave are about gone but still made potatoes. My plan is to grow lots every other year and put in a different cattle pasture to try and fool the bugs🤷🏼‍♂️

Tater bugs are easy to control with organic spray methods. There's the Bt (Bacillius thuringiensis var. tenebrionis), neem oil, spinosad, azadiractin, pyrethrin. I use Bt myself. Works great. Totally wipes them out, but will need to be applied a few times. It's the blight that gets me.

[PoginyHill]

Not to brag but I think I found a way around the tater bugs. I dig a trench then put in taters. Put on about 2 inches of dirt. Let come up about 6 in. then hill , then put on about 4 inches of wheat straw. I even cover the walkway to keep down the weeds. After eating the taters. Just till in. the straw.Havent had bugs for two years now. Didnt need to do anything this year though. I think I seen a few earlier then it seems it got to hot for them.Try it nothing to loose.

Seems as though the adults have already emerged and laid eggs before plants are 6" high. At least that's been my experience. Does the straw prevent them from emerging from the ground?

[welderskelter]

I heard that is why they cant multiply. Not sure. But it does seem to work.

[Al_Smith]

Years ago I experimented growing Irish cobblers under straw .They didn't get quite as large though .Kind of neat ,about the time the vines started to die you just pull them and there they are potatoes on a string so to speak . 

[Southside]

I plant them in raised hills and let the layers have free access to them, they don't dig them up or peck the plants this way, and zero bug issues with zero pesticide, soap, or anything else applied to the plants.

My problem this year was I didn't keep up with weed pressure between the rows so the grass got way tall. Ended up taking them all as new potatoes. Typically those are Red Pontiacs but I grew Kennebecs this year and they are quite good as a new potato. 

[farmfromkansas]

Question for Sedge, do you plant in the same place year after year?   Crops require rotation, way we plant wheat is after soybeans, and then the recommended crop is sorghum.  Some guys put sunflowers into the rotation.  Point is, don't plant your taters in the  spot as last year.  Our garden is doing great this year, last year I brought in old leaking water tanks and filled 3/4 full of composted cow manure.  We had lots of weeds at first.  Once the plants shade the ground not many weeds.  Fewer weeds this year, great tomatoes, green beans, squash. But the tanks are only 1/2 full, so have to bring some more compost, and fill back to 3/4. Wife planted tomatoes in tanks where she did not have tomatoes last year.  This was her first time in years for green beans, also first time they produced well. Point is composting works, and rotation keeps the pests and disease from ruining your crops year after year.

[Sedgehammer]

Question for Sedge, do you plant in the same place year after year?   Crops require rotation, way we plant wheat is after soybeans, and then the recommended crop is sorghum.  Some guys put sunflowers into the rotation.  Point is, don't plant your taters in the  spot as last year.  Our garden is doing great this year, last year I brought in old leaking water tanks and filled 3/4 full of composted cow manure.  We had lots of weeds at first.  Once the plants shade the ground not many weeds.  Fewer weeds this year, great tomatoes, green beans, squash. But the tanks are only 1/2 full, so have to bring some more compost, and fill back to 3/4. Wife planted tomatoes in tanks where she did not have tomatoes last year.  This was her first time in years for green beans, also first time they produced well. Point is composting works, and rotation keeps the pests and disease from ruining your crops year after year.

This is virgin ground. Besides that it's blight and it doesn't live in the soil i'm told. it's a very hateful development year after year here. Up north we never had it and grew great taters. I even tried the most blight resistant taters and nope. I try to do mostly organic or very close to it, but if i want taters I'll need to use the heavy duty stuff next year...... teeter_totter

[Ed_K]

 Rita tried something new this yr. She got a dozen grain bags filled them half way with composted manure put the taters in and filled up the rest of the way with potting soil. If it works we can move them around real easy. Every time we tried putting them in the ground all we got was little potato's about the size of your thumb.

[Al_Smith]

I think the soil condition and nutrients have more to do with the size .Years ago in what used to be a barn yard on my first wife's grandmother's farm I grew red Pontiacs the size of Idaho bakers .