5 July 2014 Dolomite Lime around potatoes planted 5 June 2014
Potatoes
These were planted a month ago and I have just started to add compost to hill them up. The white stuff around them is lime. I am curious to see how much better these potatoes do than the ones grown in the cardboard cylinders in a previous post.
Update 27 July 2014
Two Rows of Potaoes
Great Foliage
The leaves look lush and green with no insect damage at all. Hopefully there are potatoes growing under all that foliage. I grew eggplant once and had around 50 of the best looking eggplants you ever saw. Ended up with about 30 kilos of fruit. I looked after them too well and had fertilised the soil with too much manure.
Crop Rotation
These potatoes should do well as the previous crop was sweet potatoe and there was only compost dug in as fertiliser. I have added dolomitic lime and crusher dust so they should have enough calcium and minerals.
When To Harvest
I have searched for when I should harvest and the best I can find is that you harvest after flowering has occurred. I know that conventional farmers spray their crop with a weedkiller so that the tops die and are less of a problem for their mechanical harvesters. These potatoes will be harvested by hand so the tops won’t be a problem.
Correct Spelling of Potato
It seems that the correct spelling of potato (singular) is now without the (e). The plural, potatoes, includes the (e). Come on, get with the program(me), depending on where you are.