Topic: spuds again - low yield

[aquilegia]

 :-[ :-[ :'(

I enthusiastically dug down through the soil in my old grow bags to reveal potatoes for dinner last night...

After digging through a LOT of soil and finding the bottom of the plant, I found three Red Duke of York spuds. So we had them for dinner with the two Anyas I found, after losing the plant to slugs.

Fortunately we had some garlic bread in the freezer as just under 3oz of spuds between the two of us wasn't exactly enough.

Anyway - the question - how come my yield is so low? Could it be the restriction of the bag? Not enough feed? I think I might have earthed them up too much. So could the plant have direct it's energy into growing up rather than producing tubers?

The spuds were absolutely delicious (thanks again Tim!) So I want to make sure that next year I do actually get a decent harvest to enjoy.

[legless]

no idea but i have had dissapointing yields with charlotte, about the same as yours and yet the cherie in the same row have given us over a meal's worth per plant.....

[Multiveg]

I lifted the rest of my first earlies today (to make room for other things), and I was disappointed with the yield of Mimi - though this is a salad variety. Haven't weighed them yet...

[Debs]

I dug up some of my earlies ( International Kidney).

I dug about 5 plants up - all were planted out at same time.

Some gave a good yield but from two I got nothing ???

Debs

[john_miller]

Aqui, earthing up is supposed to increase yield, not diminish it. Potatoes are heavy feeders, especially for Nitrogen as they are bulking up tubers, perhaps you didn't apply enough? I know it's not on your scale but the commercial recommendation is 50lbs per acre of N as a side dressing when buds are visible.

[philcooper]

I agree with John that N will bulk potatoes up, but if it's chemical N then it will be at the expense of taste (the extra bulk being mainly water)

For good yields the hungry beasts need a good dose of organic feed - FYM or, failing that, compost

Blood fish and bone helps

Phil

[tim]

NOT an argument - just confusion.

Nitrogen? I know it's likely to be different for grow bags, but 3 typical feeds give 6.5.10/10.10.20/7.9.14. I use the latter.

Should I add something? And when? Difficult when the rows are earthed up? Foliar feed? = Tim

[philcooper]

Tim,
I think you have hit the nail on its thingy - a bit of seaweed spray should perk em up a treat

In the first email in the thread the words "old grow bags" were used - that could well be the reason for the lack of nutrients

Phil

[aquilegia]

Phil - it was old grow bags, literally the bag, but I was using garden soil to earth them up. Occassionally applied chicken manure pellets (I'm very unscientific - didn't do it regularly, or keep records!) I'm beginning to see where I went wrong!

[tim]

'Occasionally?' - I would have thought that one lot of your main fert , incorporated in the soil, would suffice?
But I'm all ears for John & Phil's comment on the big N! = Tim

[philcooper]

1. Any chance of a photo of Tim in "all ears" mode - does it look anything like the heir to the throne???  ;)

2. Chicken manure has N, is organic, but as you pointed out, it's a bit late in the day to apply it for effect. I would incorporate it, and any other organic fertiliser, when planting. So maybe next year!!!

[aquilegia]

Thanks phil - next year, definitely. You live, you learn!