look out Potatoes

[WayneB]

Picked up a new potato digger Friday. I am sure it will make digging potatoes more fun this fall. 3 pt hitch with pto vibratory.

Also got a new potato planter at the same time. This is a 3 pt hitch planter and is grown driven. I have not attached the row plow or the hiller yet, will wait and do that in the spring.

 

[nmu98]

Very nice...... I hand dug up about 20 feet of ours today to get the tiny potatoes for canning..... Would have loved to had that to try out!

 

[Duffster]

Wow!

You are serious about potatoes.

 

[schmism]

i likes me some potatoes but dont know that im THAT serous about them!

nice setup!

 

[DUMBDOG]

The only thing better than a potato digger is one that would put them on a trailer at the same time. Now that would be nice.

The unfortunate thing is that one still has to go behind and pick them up. However it is still the best way do dig potatoes for a small operator.

 

[WayneB]

DUMBDOG: I agree, but I have to keep in mind that I am sitting on the tractor seat! So just maybe someone else will be behind me picking up the potatoes?

schmism: I hear you and depending upon how many potatoes you plant will certainly help in deciding what equipment you need to plant and pick them.

Duffster: I am not too sure how serious I am about potatoes, but we planted 700 pounds of seed potato this year and I knew once finished that there was going to be a need for a digger (couldn't do that many with a potato plow) and next year if I want to expand I needed a planter to better control the width of the rows and the placement of the seed.

nmu98: As soon as we hooked it up to the tractor everyone wanted me to go out and dig a row of potatoes just to see how it worked. I wouldn't do it then they all said "Then lets just go out and dig rocks". Tell you it hard to hold people down, but I ended up putting it away until the proper time, mid to late August.

 

[JohnDeere4300]

we planted 700 pounds of seed potato this year.

I ended up putting it away until the proper time, mid to late August.

Very nice!

700 pounds is a lot of potatoes....Post some pictures when it's harvest time.

Thanks for sharing!

 

[jinman]

Wow!! Wayne, that's some nice stuff you have there. Maybe you or David can tell me, but how many pounds do you expect to harvest for each pound planted? 25 lb? 35 lb? 50 lb? Didn't I read somewhere here that around 40 lb per lb of seed was a huge harvest?

I'm sure looking forward to seeing that equipment in action.

 

[WayneB]

Hi Jim, I can only say I wish it would be 25-35-40pound to the pound, but I would be extremely happy with 10 pounds to the pound. Growing up we expected 10 pounds to the pound of sale potatoes, not small seed potatoes.

Like everything else it started out as fun and after the second year it turned into work. I do enjoy it tough. Right now we are in the raspberry picking stage and that isn't so much fun. Lots of work, too hot, too many bugs and not enough customers.

Wayne

 

[DUMBDOG]

I also drive the tractor but for some reason I end up picking up about half of them after I get done digging. I put in 6400# this year.

The amount of return varies, I get less as we will start digging tomorrow, not waiting until they mature cuts the yield by a considerable amount. Weeds and moisture will effect the final outcome by a good percentage also.