improving potato yields..?

[Greenthumb18]

Hi,
Year after year i get low yields of my potatoes. I did not harvest/ dig up this year's potatoes yet but as you might guess, i'm not expecting a big yield. Would anyone know of ways i can increase the yield for next year and beyond?
i do earth up my potatoes which helps a little.

Thanks!!

 

[silkiechicken]

Not sure... I got about 50 lbs from a 20 foot row... is that a good or bad yield?

What I do is let the chickens hang out in the potential garden spot for about 4 months. In that time they go though about 200lbs of feed that mostly ends up in the soil. To plant, dig a foot deep trench and place in a seed potato, cover with an inch of soil, and just fill in the trench and mound up over the season.

 

[Greenthumb18]

Not sure... I got about 50 lbs from a 20 foot row... is that a good or bad yield?

Are you kidding, thats a great yield, wish i got that much. I'm probably going to start harvesting the potatoes in a week or so and see what i got under there, hopefully its plenty.

 

[chickaD]

Can you add some compost to that part of your garden? Our potatoes respond well to it, when I remember to do it. Or maybe if you could put some aged manure there, the fall before planting the next year's crop...

I like to use Root Crops Alive (available from Gardens Alive) for bigger yields of spuds & beets.

 

[bills]

If you have been growing spuds in the same part of your garden for several years, this can lend to lower yields. Crop rotation is important.

Here is an little info about that I found.

http://www.cuslm.ca/ccse-swcc/publications/english/rotation.pdf

Another aspect is the depth the seed potato's are planted, which I found very interesting, as to how it affects yield. Here is something on that.

http://www.ag.uidaho.edu/potato/research/files/Volume 31_32/Planting Report 31-133.pdf

 

[chickaD]

Bills - Thanks for the great link on planting depth. This might explain why years ago I got such an "underwhelming" yield from Russets! :/