pcourterelle wrote in message ...
in article , simy1 at
wrote on 8/18/04 7:00 PM:

pcourterelle wrote in message
...
Hi all...for the past three years I've planted potatos and each year I had
lots of plant/greenery but very few spuds. Typically the greenery will be up
to 1 meter high and spread out over a 1 metre radius but yeild only one
giant spud and a three or four smaller spuds per plant. The soil is great
and I add compost and steer manure every spring. I mound up around each
plant. The spuds and rest of the veggie garden get a dose of liquid
fertilizer every two weeks. I've planted late maturing Burbank Russets. I am
in North America, Zone 4. I am considering trimming back the plants (as it
encroages other areas of the garden). Any advice you could provide would be
appreciated?

Thanks

ps Any good treatments to prevent potato scabs?

scab is prevented by lowering the pH. Potato yield is increased by
high phosphorous. So why not try to add rock phosphate next year,
which will do both?
and the way the plants have developed, it sounds like your garden (or
the way you fertilize) is very N-rich. So just the rock phosphate next
year, perhaps a bit of sulphur to further lower the pH, and nothing
else, and see how it goes.


Is there a quick/easy test to determine the ph level?

cheers
pc

there are kits you can buy. they are not very accurate but they should
give you the pH within 0.5. Or you can look at the type of weeds that
come up in your garden. If you have dock, sheep sorrel, the
clover-looking sorrel (sorry, can't remember its name), nutsedge,
dandelion, those are all acid soil indicators, specially the first
two.