2017 Growing German Butterball and Yukon Gold

[Bodhi Peace]

For the 2017 growing season, we are growing...

"German Butterball"
...........and.............
....."Yukon Gold".....

10 each from seed
in rows side by side
raised bed
chitted both

hilled up twice already (not sure if this was a mistake)
there is about 4-6" of plant above ground

Yukon Gold seems to have taller/more vigorous plants and generally bigger leaves

[Bodhi Peace]

I'm excited about the potatoes this year. We don't normally grow them from seed. (Sometimes we have volunteers we dig up.) Now we have a whole bed.

Is there any maintenance from now until harvest besides watering (and maybe weeding)?

Since they are in a raised bed, I can keep "hilling" them up until the bed is filled to the top, but that would be a lot of soil. Is there a limit to hilling up and would it really help?

[Nematode]

Hill them once about 6".
Leaf hoppers will set them back if they come in bad and can bring virus, but have not been too destructive out east. Pyrethrin takes them out.
Smash the potato bugs and orange eggs under the leaves. Spinosad can work if you are not a picker/smasher. Mulch can deter potato beetle somewhat, they like soil beneath the plants. Mulch after hilling if you do.
Watch for late blight, I spray mine with same foliage spray as tomato.
Find the recipe for uncle bills potatoes and onions online.

[Bodhi Peace]

We've never really seen disease or pests on the potato volunteers but we have never grown them in any substantial number. Hilling is a new thing for us. They are really taking off since chitting them and we already hilled twice. Once when 8", filling in the trench which was about 4". Then a week later adding another 2-3" of barky soil/mulch and mounding around the plants, leaving about 4" exposed.

[ako1974]

German butterball are delicious! I haven't grown potatoes in a while, but did for many years. They were one of my favorites.

[Bodhi Peace]

Thanks for your input. Looking forward to it more now.