[AT] Info on potato growing and crop insurance - was RE: OTHappywhite easter

[Grant Brians]

Here is my second take on your issue.... If you have compost, apply the equivalent of an inch thick and plow it in. Or place it in a wide planting furrow and then put the potatoes on the compost and then cover. If Chemical fertilizer, apply the same amount as the most you would give Tomatoes before planting to the sides (sidedressed) and then sprinkle some more on at the time of tuber set unless the vines are super tall already (you will know....) If you have raw manure only then place it in the garden and turn it into the soil in the fall and then add half as much fertilizer as you think you need in the planting furrow just like the compost application method.
     The reason they said don't give too much nitrogen is that the potatoes will start breaking down early and the plants will put more energy into the vine than the potatoes. Also they get a funny taste....
           Grant Brians

-----Original Message-----
From: at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com
[mailto:at-bounces at lists.antique-tractor.com]On Behalf Of charlie hill
Sent: Thursday, April 12, 2012 12:57 PM
To: Antique tractor email discussion group
Subject: Re: [AT] Info on potato growing and crop insurance - was RE:
OTHappywhite easter


Thanks Grant.  I wasn't expecting you to go into such detail but I 
appreciate it.  As for the Crop Insurance,  I used to adjust Federal Crop so 
I have some idea what you are speaking of.  Our agents never even tried to 
sell federal crop for any sort of veggie crop other than potatoes and some 
cabbage but both of those crops here are a one shot harvest.

I'll expand a bit on my question about fertilizer for potatoes.  When I was 
a kid we grew them in a large garden and it was essentially like growing 
them in a farm situation, just on a smaller scale.  Back then I knew how to 
do it.   For the last few years I've been raising a small home garden and 
potatoes are something I alwaysb plant and have mixed results with.  The 
reason for my question about fertilizer is that one of my farmer friends 
once cautioned me against putting to much nitrogen to them.  I asked him 
why.  He just laughed out loud and said "if you do it you'll find out." His 
buddies laughed too.  I'm not sure if they knew what he was talking about of 
if they were just going along with the joke.  Well from then on I've been 
gun shy about applying nitrogen and since they wouldn't tell me what the 
result is I don't know how to tell when I've gone overboard so I err on the 
side of caution and probably don't use enough.  My guess is that if I use 
too much I'll have all bush and no potatoes to speak of or I'll have a lot 
of necrosis but I just don't know.   Anyway, thanks for the lesson.

Charlie