Questions about Potatoes

I have a wee bit of a problem here. I can't grow potatoes from the seed potatoes that are available locally.

I planted 50 lbs of potatoes of the redskin, russet, white, yukon gold, and blue fingerling types. All of them looked healthy in early spring. Then one day I went out and all of the plants had turned yellow and wilted. It all had some kind of fungus growing on it. I knew it was a tad wet here, so I had grown it in fabric tree bags so it could drain well. But even this measure didn't work. I got 2 ping pong ball sized potatoes from planting 50 lbs. Our winters are like Southern Canada, and our summers are like the Deep South, and all the time it rains, as often as several times a week, with exception to September and October which are usually fairly dry.

My rain gauge last year (2020) read about 80 inches when totaled for the summer. I accidentally ran it over this spring with the mower, I need a new one.

I've planted potatoes 2 years running since moving here and got essentially none. Is there a potato that is adapted to very wet weather? Everyone I talked to had the same problem in my area. I used to grow them just fine in central Ohio. I move a bit further south and it's a bit wetter and now potatoes are hard to grow. I used to bury them and forget them til the tops died in the fall, and I'd get loads of spuds from 5-7 lbs of seed potatoes.

We had in Europe various Potato crisis as I was young and it was the rain that destroyed full harvests.
Sand or Loam made no difference.
 
There were some Farmers trying to move them into Greenhouses but the price doesn't verify those efforts even the price rocketed into 60 German Marks (= 250 USD to that time) for a 50 Pound Sack.

Now living in Thailand I am still looking for the stone of wisdom to grow my own tropical Potato...

The last were not bigger than an average Pearl but I got true seeds (not seed potatoes) now and I am full of hope that the outcome could get more heat resistant spuds with the size of a thumbnail.
Maybe 50 generations of true seeds will get me there, if I am still kicking around by then..

The only way I reckon is get the best plants and let then growing true seeds and hope that one day you got a potato suitable for swamps...

Wow, that is supremely frustrating.

It's also a lot of rain.

How is the soil? Does it smell fresh and alive, or is it anaerobic?

I wonder if it's viable to lay your seed flat on the ground, in broadly spaced rows, and hill on top of it, basically creating deep drainage channels. Sort of the reverse of traditional planting methods.

Hey Ryan,

You will get the best answers in your local community in terms of varieties!


I believe the issue may be with your method of planting!

Ohio University has many great research papers on growing potatoes.

Also one of my Hero`s Ruth Stout, her work on potatoes and low effort gardening! is just brilliant and much of the potatoe tower and straw potato mounds flows from her work.

You may consider using a drainage friendly method as a solution!  

Regards,
Alex

Potatoes quite like it wet (generations of Irish and Scots farmers can tell you that!)
Have you identified the fungal disease? Is it `just` blight? see Phytophthora_infestans.

There are varieties more resistant to blight, or swapping to an early bulking variety may mean you can get some tubers before the disease hits. Even cultivariable have been having problems in the last few years, so it may be more of an issue in the US recently.

Here in Denmark they traditionally only grow early varieties, no baking potatoes infact nothing from your list. And the reason is how wet and humid it is, any old late potato will just die to blight before you get a crop. (there are modern varieties that are resistant). Potatoes will grow in saturated soil, it's the leaves that need protecting from rain if you get a lot.
Try growing a waxy early potato and see how it does they only need to survive for 2 months and you have a crop, much less time for something to go horribly wrong.

Hi Ryan.  We have had quite a bit of rain up here too.  One month we got 12 inches this past spring.  We plant them level on the ground and hill them.  We usually hill them 3 time in the early spring.  The hills let them fruit in the levels of moister they prefer.  We have a huge crop this year.  They are mostly about 2 inches above ground level.  We tried the ditch covered in straw method a couple years ago and it just made a mud ditch.  We get too much rain to plant them in a ditch, they just rot.

Ryan, please keep this updated.  I have only had one potato failure and I am pretty certain I know the reason.  I will be very curious to know about your outcome.

Do you have an idea of the fertility of the soil the potatoes were planted in?  My only potato failure was from planting in wood chips that were not sufficiently broken down.  Could something like this be the culprit?

Eric

You've gotten some good suggestions so far. I'd especially encourage planting in hills to avoid waterlogging. But mostly, your problem may be late blight, the disease that was involved in the famous Irish famine. This disease is facilitated by wet warm weather with high humidity. Once it gets going in an area, there is little that can stop it. Large-scale potato farmers manage it mostly through preventative fungicide applications (copper compounds in organic production, synthetics in conventional ag).  The suggestion of late blight resistant varieties is really important. I know of one that was developed by research colleagues of mine, called Defender.  I think it is still available from some online seed suppliers. It does not perform competitively in the U.S. potato industry, but it was imported by Bangladesh to support their farmers and communities.

I read all the comments. I greatly appreciate the replies. I'm going to give the straw a shot.

Skandi Rogers wrote:Here in Denmark they traditionally only grow early varieties, no baking potatoes infact nothing from your list. And the reason is how wet and humid it is, any old late potato will just die to blight before you get a crop. (there are modern varieties that are resistant). Potatoes will grow in saturated soil, it's the leaves that need protecting from rain if you get a lot.
Try growing a waxy early potato and see how it does they only need to survive for 2 months and you have a crop, much less time for something to go horribly wrong.

I believe I will try this. I subsist on my garden so this being a bad year was a financial hardship.

I think I'll try Caribe, Red Gold, and Red Norland.

To summarize, you will need to confirm the exact cause of the yellowing and dying. I'm not an expert on potatoes (or gardening in general) but I often make use of the cooperative extension for disease identification. I tend to ignore their suggestions for various fungicides and pesticides, but at least it helps me know where to start my research.

If it is blight or something like it, then it can also affect tomatoes and others of the nightshade family. So don't plant any of those there for a while. There are copper based fungicides that are "organic", but I have never used any. Blight specifically is a fungus, so keeping things dry can help. I'll list some thoughts below when I talk about too much rain. Also, perhaps increasing other fungus would compete for resources. Maybe grow some mushrooms in that spot. Perhaps running some sort of animal through the area would help disrupt things. Chickens or pigs come to mind because they would be disturbing the dirt.

If it is simply too much water, then you need to work on drainage and airflow. I know you mentioned growing in bags, but you did not mention what you put in the bags. Something high in sand for drainage, and high in organic matter for a buffer would be good. Perhaps even something inspired by hugelkultur to give a place for the water to go at the bottom. Maybe just some big rocks at the bottom of the grow bag. I would think maybe straw and or woodchips (dry) added to the top would give more room for potatoes above ground as well as something else to soak up water. Cutting off the bottom leaves to increase airflow. Make sure there are not too many tall plants around (weeds or otherwise) so that the wind and sun can get in and help. Maybe try planting them farther apart. This is not as efficient, but may be needed for the extra room in this climate.

And lastly, I have to say this. Maybe you shouldn't grow potatoes there. I know that sounds horrible, but hear me out. I don't see why Ohio shouldn't be able to grow potatoes, but I would suggest looking into the amount of time and effort. You can grow citrus in Montana... but its a LOT of work. You can grow blueberries in the south... but they never really do very well compared to the cooler climates. I think there are times to say "I want this and I'm going to do the work to get it" and other times to say "maybe I can grow something different that will work better". I recall reading in one of Eliot Coleman's books that when he was trying to grow into the fall and winter, that he switched to cold weather adapted greens instead of trying to keep growing the same greens he did in the summer. It was like night and day. It became so much easier to get so much more yield because he found something that worked with the climate instead of fighting against it.

The early varieties and alternative crops suggestions are very sound advice.
Sunchokes love the super wet Ohio weather, plus you can leave them in the ground for storage.
I've never grown sweet potatoes for the tubers,  but the Dirt Patch Heaven lady grew them in Idaho!
That was in a compost heated bed inside a hoop house, but still.
There are of other root crops that could be staples, like rutabaga, turnip, or beets but they don't hold the same appeal to most people.

An open sided, clear topped structure could channel rainfall to an infiltration ditch.
This would keep the leaves dry but also allow sunlight and airflow.
This wouldn't be a practical method for large plantings.
I have started potatoes very early in containers,  using a  white bucket as a bell.
That early start could really help.
If I do it again, it would be on soil, since my neglectful watering killed the previous experiment.

The potatoes I grew this last summer were from dumpster potatoes.
I grew them to improve the beds they were planted in, as much as anything.
Because the method and seed source was so haphazard,  I didn't expect anything much from them and that's pretty much what I got.

You’ve gotten some good replys so far.

My own experience.. .
I grow potatoes in a location that gets 60 to  80 inches of rain, some years even more. Until early blight got introduced to my farm, I had no problem growing scads of potatoes. But then a garden volunteer planted store bought potatoes into my gardens, introducing diseases, the most devastating was blight.

My question to be pondered— where did you get your seed potatoes from? Could your source be carrying disease?

As others have said, the problem is virtually certain to be late blight, one of the most common potato problems.  The good news is that you have lots of options since it is one of the most common problems.  The bad news is that it remains one of the most common problems because none of the options are perfect.  You can do one or more of the following:

* Grow late blight resistant varieties.

No variety has durable resistance against late blight, but many have adequate resistance to get a crop, particularly if the strains present in your garden have not cracked all the resistance genes.  Modern, commercial varieties are more likely to have useful resistance than heirloom types.

* Time your plantings to avoid blight weather.

Blight is most likely to occur when the weather is cool and humid and it takes some time to develop in areas with cold winters, so you can grow early varieties earlier in the year to try to bring in a harvest before blight occurs.  Also, late varieties have a certain degree of innate resistance because they remain in a active growth phase during the period of time when blight tends to be most active.  Depending on the strains present in your area, you might find that late varieties will still produce a reasonable yield even when infected by blight.

* Use fungicide.

There are both Organic approved (but still fairly toxic) copper fungicides and non-Organic fungicides.  The copper fungicides are only effective when used prophylactically - you have to apply them before blight arrives and keep applying them after rains.  They are not very effective, but are often enough to get the plants to harvest.  The non-organic fungicides tend to be pretty effective - enough for commercial agriculture - but I don't have any direct experience with them to offer.

It is also quite possible that you will not have blight the next time that you grow.  Blight spores blow on the wind, often from miles away.  If the weather is different, the wind comes from a different direction, or your neighbors grow different plants, blight might not arrive in your garden or might arrive at a time of the year when it is less damaging.  You will want to remove any volunteer potatoes from the previous year since they can carry over blight and start the infection again.

Regarding fungicides: Don't know if this is any help, but I stumbled on the fact that Marchantia polymorpha (common liverwort) contains several apparently potent fungicidal chemicals. (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Marchantia_polymorpha) Of course, if you attempt a DIY organic fungicide based on Marchantia, it might well end up growing in your potato field (it thrives on bare soil in wet conditions) but as far as I know it's harmless, except apparently to fungi.

Uh, well, I'm in sight of the Ohio River, so it's humid here 24/7 365 days a year. Fog almost every morning unless it's below freezing. Fungicides aren't really an option. It destroys the soil food web that supplies the rest of the garden with nutrients.

William had a good point about sunchokes, turnips, rutabagas, etc... I love those and I haven't grown them myself before. I'll have to give them a try.

You might try growing potatoes from true potato seed. Much more blight resistant, and I got better yields from seed than I did from tuber.  But I know that is not normal. Still worth a try.
Here is a video of Joseph Lofthouse in my potato patch
https://vimeo.com/655068113

Julia Dakin wrote:You might try growing potatoes from true potato seed. Much more blight resistant, and I got better yields from seed than I did from tuber.  But I know that is not normal. Still worth a try.
Here is a video of Joseph Lofthouse in my potato patch
https://vimeo.com/655068113

WOW! I've never seen such productive potatoes. And I adore potatoes. Especially weird ones. Plus, in my climate, a heavy selection pressure exists because of the moisture. If you'd be willing to send me an assortment of seeds (extras or something, don't want to burden you, just a few of each kind), I'd plant them in containers to build seed stock and then the next year start putting starts from seed out in my forage forest. Then let the STUN method select them for me. I'm willing to create an Ohio River Landrace. And because of the extreme moisture here, any resulting potato would be incredibly disease resistant anywhere with less fog and rain. And I'll send some seeds back if I succeed so you can get the benefit in your patch. I'll be selecting for disease resistance and self-seeding. My Forage Forest System Requires genetically diverse plants with the ability to plant their own replacements. I'll see if turkeys can re-seed them for me. Birds can eat fruits that would make humans sick. So what do you think? Wanna give it a shot?

I have good success with potatoes - i live in eastern cape breton - it is pretty wet most of the time..

the soil here... well.. isn't - it's a till plain - 50% clay, 40% rocks of all sizes, 10% soil-like stuff - all my gardening is raised beds and pots.. i did try digging holes and filling them with soil - there were drainage problems...

i grow my spuds in tries - easy to hill the second collar, tires keeps the moisture in, raised up keeps them from water logging.. so the moisture thing is manageable.. i don't get blight, but this is the 10th year cycling these potatoes so they aren't going to infect themselves.. i don't live near anyone really... i grow 4 varieties.. yukon gold, irish cobblers, russets and red chieftains - they all do well, i keep them in cold storage and replant with what i don't eat in may... i augment the soil with aged horse manure from nearby and comfrey

i would listen to the blight advice for sure - as they have suggested, blight resistant varieties might help... possibly order from far away too

the moisture is only a problem if it pools too much.. here is a pic from July - it might give you an idea or two - you can see drainage is no problem with tires - it is easy to manage too - best of luck!

A number of studies have indicated that there are a wide range of heavy metals, including lead that leech out of car tyres.  Some people have refuted this, but personally I would not like to take the chance.

Wow, that is rough.

I thought my potato growing exploits at high altitude were rough, but at least I got a few meals and a nice potato salad for my effort.

What comes to mind is a non-traditional potato variety, maybe even sweet potato varieties.

https://www.woodprairie.com/ was very helpful in choosing varieties that worked in my unique climate zone.

Olga:

I am aware of the tire gardening debate and have been slowly moving off the tires to raised beds... it just takes time - the potatoes will eventually be out of tires.. that is the plan

BUT sometimes i re-read about the time it takes tires to degrade vs water contamination, processed food/sugar toxicity etc. and then i revaluate the risk assessment and throw out more processed food..

i see both sides of the issue - it's a hard call... then i read this and think of all the wood stoves.. which i am now DEFINITLEY not going to install - the health debates are endless..

https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2021/dec/17/wood-burners-urban-air-pollution-cancer-risk-study

Oh! James I understand, I wasn't criticising in anyway.

I know first hand how difficult it is to make the right choices and those choices and changes are not always the easiest.  I also know that information given differs with who is financing the research and I do not take anything at face value.  What I was saying is that if I can avoid certain things, which to my mind, seem a no no, then I will.  Believe me that if my family was starving and the only way was to grow in tyres, I would do so.

I do wish you the best. Besides, your potatoes look lovely!

Olga:

I didn't take it as criticism i am aware of both sides of the tire debate - for some things they work really well and i was familiar with them since 2008 when i was more into prepping etc

as you put it

"which to my mind, seem a no no"

that was exactly my point - we all have a different list/perception of "no no" - a lot of it is habit, some irrational, some obvious etc.

and this is now compounded with info overload and it becomes mentally exhausting and often our sense of risk-aversion gets skewed... i am STILL trying to figure out if i should use fluoride toothpaste or not even though i am damn sure that the better part of that whole rat's nest is to make sure i brush twice a day ;-)

yeah - the spuds are a winner - they look like that every july.. the do REAL well in the tires here - makes it hard to break the habit LOL!

all my best to you as well - cheers!

Eric Hanson wrote:I have only had one potato failure and I am pretty certain I know the reason.  ...  My only potato failure was from planting in wood chips that were not sufficiently broken down.  Could something like this be the culprit?

Eric

Eric,  I was about to start a raised bed using wood chips to grow potatoes.  Using concrete blocks.  I was going on the suggestion by Dr. Redhawk that you can grow them in wood chips.  I am now thinking of starting the plants in small soil mounds surrounded by wood chips that are maybe 4 months old.  Does this sound reasonable?

Hi Dennis, I do something similar using straw. To be clear, I leave the straw out all winter in raised beds to get rained on and to begin to decompose.  In the spring, I put mounds of soil on it and plant.