First Potatoes in Maine

[Lamb Abbey Orchards]

This was my first year of growing potatoes in the garden and I was a bit worried about potato beetles finding my plants. Fortunately, I think I got the potatoes into the ground a little late (the first weekend in June) and we had such a rainy June that the beetles must've been scared away.

Once the sun finally broke for a couple days at the end of the month, I noticed maybe a beetle or two per plant, knocked them off by hand, and sprayed an organic potato beetle insecticide once on all of the plants using a backpack sprayer, and never had another beetle. The plants look great now and quite healthy.

I planted six varieties--125 feet of each--for a total of 750 feet of potatoes. All seed potatoes were spaced 12" apart, giving me 750 plants.

The varieties I planted were:

• Carola
• GoldRush
• German Butterball
• Adirondack Red
• Adirondack Blue
• La Ratte (fingerling)

I've resisted the urge to dig up any new potatoes, and am looking forward to my first potato harvest this Fall. I'm thinking I should have enough to feed the family! Now I just need to figure out where and how I'm going to store everything. . .




John