The Rural Voice, 1978-06, Page 32Gardening
Choose quality seed
potatoes for good
results
A backyard garden never seems
complete without potatoes, but there's a lot
more to getting good results than simply
planting potatoes bought at the supermar-
ket.
While such potatoes may be good to eat,
they'll almost surely lead to problems if
used for seed.
In fact, say Agriculture Canada potato
specialists, planting table potatoes is
probably the worst thing a home gardener
can do. Such potatoes are frequently
infected with plant virus diseases and
while safe to eat they may produce a very
poor crop.
Eric Davies and Richard Tarn, members
of the potato breeding group at Agriculture
Canada's research station at Fredericton,
N.B., say that choice of variety and source
of seed are the most important criteria for a
good potato crop in the home garden.
The researchers stress the importance of
trying to obtain foundation or certified
potato seed. Both grades conform to
standards of freedom from virus and
bacterial diseases. The scientists say some
garden stores and co-operatives stock seed
potatoes in early spring. Sometimes,
farmers too will sell some of their certified
seed stock. Such seed will have official
Agriculture Canada certification tags
attached to the bag, giving the grade and
name.
Choice of variety for garden potatoes
depends where the crop will be grown, the
taste of the grower and whether the crop is
to be dug early for summer use or dug later
and stored for winter use. Wherever you
live in Canada, the best early potato is the
Canadian -bred variety Sable which should
be planted early and can be dug in about 80
days. In the Prairies and British Columbia
the red -skinned Norland is also a popular
early variety. Probably the best all-round
variety for garden use is Keswick. Fundy is
also good. Both of these Canadian varieties
are about 10 days later in maturity than
Sable, and they produce tubers that store
well.
For main crop late varieties, Kennebec
and Green Mountain are popular. Netted
Gem is a very dry and popular baking
potato but is difficult to grow well. This
variety requires a very long season to reach
good size, and should be planted with 44
cm (18 inches) spacing.
As far as land preparation is concerned,
the researchers say application of manure
or fertilizer benefits the potato crop.
rtr. 3z. 1'tiL KUKAL VOICE/JUNE 1978.
Tubers can be planted whole or cut into
sets, making sure that each set contains at
least one "eye". Common planting
distance is 25 cm (10 inches) between sets
and 90 cm between rows. Depth of planting
should be about seven cm (three inches).
"The backyard gardener really doesn't
have too many problems with weed
control," Mr. Davies says. "A little work
with the hoe is excellent exercise."
When insects such as flea beetles and
aphids appear, commonly -used garden
insecticides may be used to control them
before damage occurs.
Another problem likely to be encounter-
ed in summer or early fall is late blight, a
fungus disease that can kill the foliage of a
potato crop in a week or two and also cause
rot in the tubers. Cool nights, warm days
and heavy rains hasten spread of the
disease. Control may be obtained with a
modern fungicide, available from garden
stores.
"Hilling the potato crop is a mid-season
job," Mr. Davies says. "This protects the
tubers that are near the surface from
greening and can prevent damage to the
e
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olmesvl��General Store
4 miles west
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A good, old fashioned country
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Hardware
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-4
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Cuio 'knit
June 2-34
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