ts
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Posts: 7
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Post by ts on Feb 17, 2010 8:52:38 GMT -8
Tom, other members, have any of you found a particuliar potato that does better than others for late season plantings? I usally plant a few in mid August while the temps are still up. Always got mixed results. Any that would do better coming from TPS more so than tubers?
Thanks
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Post by Tom Wagner on Feb 17, 2010 11:41:09 GMT -8
Trying to get some seed orders mailed out to people and this kind of question gets me thinking about the amount of personal experience that goes into a response. Seed can wait for a moment or two.
When I lived in Bakersfield, California, I was either minutes or just a few hours away from tototally different potato seasonal growing areas.
Here, in the Seattle area, we tend to think of one potato season-----plant potatoes as early as you can muck them in the too wet soil in the spring and hope for the best! Actually that is not quite true. For several years, I would start planting in late March and end of around the end of July. The main reason I did that was because I had so many potato varieties, it would take me that long! Granted I took that long because I had to stop to weed, hybridize, plant tomatoes, cross tomatoes, rest, sleep, celebrate July 4th-----you get the picture?
But we are talking about late season and some varieties did well. Sometimes I would plant the tubers, (long sprouts and all) with the tips of the sprouts submerged but about to reach the surface also. These potatoes grew fast, initiated tubers early and performed quite well.
So much of how a potato does for a fall crop is how to keep the tubers til that time of planting. Most folks don't keep potatoes around that long unless they have some kind of cold storage or can buy some potatoes that late which is rare. For late season planting you may have to resort to store bought potatoes that are spring/summer harvested commercial potatoes that are treated with sprout inhibitors.
Potatoes that did well for me here tended to be of several classes.
1. Low set potato clones (2-4 tubers) per hill
2. Super vigorous clones with late blight resistance and even some frost tol.
3. Fast and tall growing lines that could escape the weed pressure. Who wants to weed in the middle of August?
4. TPS could be a possibility but the slower growth of the seedlings as opposed to the rapid tuber growth made the crop a week or two later.
5. Utilize some open garden space in the late summer but expect yields of half of a spring crop.
Tom Wagner If you can give me your variables....climate, etc., I could be more specific.
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ts
New Member
Posts: 7
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Post by ts on Feb 18, 2010 12:41:32 GMT -8
Thanks Tom for taking the time to reply!
In August we see at times 100 degrees, mostly in the low 90's with nights around 80. High humidity is almost a sure thing in the 45-60+ range. Frequent rains aren't unheard of. Live right on the coastal salt waters. Soil can be broad depending on where I chose to plant on my land, ranging from sandy loom, heavy red clay, black top soil. Much diversity here. Going into Sept climate stays about the same, around mid Sept temps start to fall quickly settling into the 75-80 days with lows around 40-45 nights. November can be much the same, on average I would say 65 days, 40 nights with an averaged 1st frost around Nov 18th.
Thanks!
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Post by thefuture on Mar 2, 2010 8:31:49 GMT -8
Hopefully I am not confusing matters, but I have a similar interest. In my case, low temperatures are a non-issue for a fall planting, we average in the low 70s right out to December. However local farmers seem to stick with spring planting, I'm not certain why. One I spoke to did do a fall planting and seemed to fare ok. Of course not of this is with TPS or their children. For me humidity is from 80 - 100%. Temperature never exceeds 93F in the summer. Usually around the mid to high 80s in August. Ocean - I am never more than a mile from it - caps the temperature.
I wonder if caterpillars are a reason from spring planting vs fall. They have decimated my things like chard and some squash which thive when they go dormant in the cool season.
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Post by Tom Wagner on Mar 2, 2010 10:54:11 GMT -8
Long days-lots of sun...usually implies higher yields
Most commercial potatoes are adapted to long days,(but are really day neutral) but there are some varieties bred near the equator which are short day potatoes and grow excessively rank and late if grown in long days.
This might help....
What you can take away from that quote is that most potatoes will do reasonably well for a winter crop that has the required temps but keep in mind the yield may be less due to the day lenght.
The nice thing about the TPS you obtained from me is that you may some great recombinations for adapting to winter conditions. Those that have short dormancies could be replanted soon after harvest during the late summer for your winter crop, especially those with a higher level of phureja background.
Tom Wagner
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