Increasing potatoes by disking alone

**Tom Wagner** · June 1, 2013

One of my Magic Dragon rows of potatoes was largely left unharvested from last fall. I am showing the row (about 330 ft) from last August yet in full bloom. These are sib offspring (over 120 clones) from my Skagit Magic potato variety of 2010. I planted a row of TPS seedlings back in May of 2011, bulked the tubers and planted a row of them 2012. This row produced a couple of hundred lbs. of potato berries for me and need more this year. By accident the row was disked out a few weeks ago only to spread the tubers over a three foot swath. The tubers...some cut but most whole...had emerged to fill out a row that probably has twenty fold or more the plants of a year ago.

I am showing the row from last Tuesday and you may see the three ft. bed is full of potatoes coming up like weeds. I am still digging potatoes on the right of the row. I am thinking about letting the row be and hoe around the plants to avoid too many weeds...interestingly, you can seed the lambsquarters sprouting like mad to the left of the picture which was rototilled after disking.

I am predicting this bed to produce many more potato fruits than last year...and I would not be surprised if this row produces a thousand lbs of fruit. Obviously, I will take more pictures as the season progresses. The Skagit Dragons are a mixed diploid family that inter-mate but cannot self. Thus the seed is OP but always outbred.

The picture above taking earlier this week and the one below from last August...same row.

June 1, 2013	#1
Tom Wagner Crosstalk™ Forum Moderator Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: 8407 18th Ave West 7-203 Everett, Washington 98204 Posts: 1,157	Increasing potatoes by disking alone One of my Magic Dragon rows of potatoes was largely left unharvested from last fall. I am showing the row (about 330 ft) from last August yet in full bloom. These are sib offspring (over 120 clones) from my Skagit Magic potato variety of 2010. I planted a row of TPS seedlings back in May of 2011, bulked the tubers and planted a row of them 2012. This row produced a couple of hundred lbs. of potato berries for me and need more this year. By accident the row was disked out a few weeks ago only to spread the tubers over a three foot swath. The tubers...some cut but most whole...had emerged to fill out a row that probably has twenty fold or more the plants of a year ago. I am showing the row from last Tuesday and you may see the three ft. bed is full of potatoes coming up like weeds. I am still digging potatoes on the right of the row. I am thinking about letting the row be and hoe around the plants to avoid too many weeds...interestingly, you can seed the lambsquarters sprouting like mad to the left of the picture which was rototilled after disking. I am predicting this bed to produce many more potato fruits than last year...and I would not be surprised if this row produces a thousand lbs of fruit. Obviously, I will take more pictures as the season progresses. The Skagit Dragons are a mixed diploid family that inter-mate but cannot self. Thus the seed is OP but always outbred. The picture above taking earlier this week and the one below from last August...same row.