On 16/08/2010 20:38, David Rance wrote:
I've just finished digging this year's crop of potatoes. The yield
wasn't great and I put that down to the lack of rain here in Normandy. I
had too many seeds for my main bed and so I planted three rows on a
patch that I've kept fallow for this year and it's been covered with
black plastic since last autumn.

The first two rows produced much the same size and number of potatoes as
on my main bed, but the third row which was hard up against the black
plastic (I turned back only enough plastic to plant these three rows)
produced much larger potatoes and more of them.

Does anyone have any idea why this should have happened? Was it the
warmth of the plastic which made this last row do better? Was it,
perhaps, that the plastic kept the moisture in even though the ground
was covered since last autumn. It wouldn't have been due to the lack of
weeds as there were very few anywhere because of the drought.

Has anyone here tried growing potatoes under black plastic? If so, did
you find your yield better than usual?

David


I just grew mine as normal in furrows, earthed up one time only. I grew
the variety "Daisy" this year as purchased from Point Verte. They have
proved to be highly productive. The best yield I've ever had. Many of
the potatoes have been huge - one being enough to make chips for four
people!

I think the yield would have been poor had I not been watering them
though. Not a lot of water though. I've been experimenting this year
using pee as a liquid fertiliser and mixing it around 1 part pee to 20
parts rain-butt water. Each row of potatoes had a watering/feed once a
week approximately of a single 10 litre watering can full per around 20
plants. The results have been astonishing.

The same water/pee mix has also worked wonders on the courgettes,
mangetout and runner beans. Overwhelmed with produce!

So the answer is simple - don't buy expensive fertiliser - buy wine
instead and make your own :-)

--
David in Normandy.
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