Trial by Fire

Posted by admin on May 2, 2018 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

We love to receive reports from our far-flung growers. In 2017, British Columbia experienced one if its worst fire seasons ever. Growers Phil and Carla Burton report on their experience near Smithers, BC.

By Phil Burton

A quick update on the heritage potato plantings up here at Smithers.

We planted them in our cabin garden (borderline in the Sub Boreal Spruce zone, 54.72506 N x 127.17514 W, 680 m elev.) in good (imported) loamy soil on April 29th, 2017 — the earliest I’ve ever tried planting/sowing anything up here.

Seed potatoes were split to plant 12-14 hills of each variety, always with at least 2 apparently viable eyes. The varieties included Likely, Ozette-Nootka, Mrs. Moehrle’s Yellow, and Irish Cobbler; and I think you included Kennebec and Russet. No other (modern) varieties were planted this year — we have a pretty small garden patch.

It was a cool spring, not much happening until late June, early July, when temperatures started getting hot. We watered the garden intermittently in May and June, a little more regularly in July, but then we were gone all of August and September during the peak of the drought and fire season.

So, between the slow start and the droughty summer, it was pretty much the poorest potato crop I’d ever harvested. By the time we were back home October 9th, it appeared that most plants had withered and died back sometime in the interim. The greatest numbers of survivors (4 or 5 as I recall), largest plants, and greatest yield was shown by the Ozette-Nootka, but even then, with no tubers larger than a tennis ball, and most the size of a ping pong ball.

So Ozette-Nootka wins the trial by fire and neglect, but not in shining colors. We ate the harvest over the next month, so I hope no-one was counting on another set of seed potatoes from us.

Caribe Surprise

Posted by admin on Nov 27, 2017 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Caribe Surprise

by Richard Hebda
November 2017

For several years I have grown the early maturing Caribe variety for nicely formed early potatoes. Of the typical potato-shaped varieties these provide reliable early yields. Their blotchy pale purple to pink skin and typical blunt flattened form makes them attractive. In general, they have average yields, about half a kilogram per plant (with limited watering), though I have not systematically included them in our comparative heritage variety trials.

Caribe tubers showing reddish-pink mottling on tan.

This year after digging a couple of hills and enjoying them in June, I forgot about Caribe as other varieties came on stream. Its tops dried by late July and I suspected that the yield would be mediocre and that the wireworms would get at them because of the early maturity of the tubers. Was I ever mistaken!

I finally dug up the remaining tubers in the third week of November as I prepared the bed for the following year. To my surprise I discovered closely-clustered, uniform, high-quality tubers. Most tubers were of medium to large size with few little nubbins. The skin was smooth clean and unmarked. The colour was less intense than in the late spring and the pale brown undertone showed through more strongly. And there were no wire worms – none at all among the 50 + tubers I dug up.

I thought however that having stayed in the ground so long they might have an odd texture when cooked, perhaps mealy. I was most pleasantly surprised again. I used my standard preparation technique of roasting in an open pan with a bit of olive oil. I cut them into wedges and left the skin on. Instead of turning into a mealy crumble like many bakers do, I had wonderfully firm somewhat waxy spud chunks. When you bit into them they remained firm. The texture was smooth and solid, not crumbly at all. At first, my wife and I thought they needed more roasting. However, the tubers were cooked through and there was no hard, uncooked middle. Close examination showed that the texture was somewhat crumbly but only slightly.

Caribe potato, sliced in half, showing creamy white flesh.

Caribe, when mature is firm and perhaps slightly waxy, not mushy. It is an excellent candidate for potato salads, a feature not at all mentioned in the Agriculture Canada description. Presumably Caribe has been grown for early harvest and not left in the ground until the fall.

So what a surprise! I seem to have discovered a potato that produces well, yields high-quality tubers and if left in the ground may resist wireworms and result in an excellent texture suitable for potato salads.
Give it a try and see what you think. And you know what else, it was bred in Canada in the 1960’s
Caribe is a winner!!

Check out more details at CFIA Ag Canada’a website:

Caribe

Caribe – pdf

Super Sieglinde

Posted by admin on Jul 11, 2016 in Uncategorized | Comments Off on Super Sieglinde

Richard J. Hebda July 2016

I have always enjoyed the versatile yellow-fleshed Sieglinde. This year I tried an experiment with tubers overwintered in the ground. The winter was mild in Saanich, BC and tubers began to sprout in February. I dug them out, rinsed them clean, and replanted whole in well-drained raised beds, covered in horticultural fleece. The results were astounding!!

2.6 kg yield from a single Sieglinde plant, Saanich 2016

The spring continued the winter-warm trend and the tubers grew into robust plants. New tubers began setting by late April on long stolons and we began removing young delicious potatoes by mid May, with out digging the plants. I continued light watering in the well-drained friable soil and plants began to yellow in June. At the end of the month I started harvesting and to my surprise found masses of fully formed and sized smooth-skinned beauties. Even though spaced 25 cm apart, a typical plant yielded 2.6 kg of excellent quality potatoes. In a 2.5 by 1 m (8 x 3.5 foot) space I estimate the yield was 20-25 kg! These yields match the best in any of our project trials of heritage potato varieties.

The bed was prepared with organic debris at 25 cm (10”) depth including small branches, and the overlying soil was lightly fertilized with moderately-aged horse manure. As might be expected in rich soil there was a trace of scabbing on a few tubers.

As a bonus, under the mild climate of Vancouver Island Sieglinde overwinters well in the soil and remains edible even in February.

Lessons learned:

Plant as early as you dare, the tubers will time their own emergence. Cover with row cloth to protect against late winter ground frosts. Ensure good drainage but do not be afraid to include organic matter even a bit of manure for this variety. Tubers take a bit of time to form but they size up quickly. Sieglinde is super potato !!

Canadian Heritage Potato Varieties – Is your favourite on the list?

Posted by admin on Jul 16, 2015 in Uncategorized | 5 comments

Every region of Canada has different potatoes, each with its own unique history.  Many of these have been maintained in home gardens for decades and shared between neighbours. To conserve this genetic diversity, we need to share what we know.

In Canada, the Potato Gene Resources Repository in Fredericton, NB preserves heritage varieties, to maintain a broad genetic base for future food security.  They have more than 140 varieties which are available to growers, breeders and researchers.

List of Potato Cultivars available from the Potato Gene Resources Repository

Welcome

Posted by admin on Jul 15, 2015 in Uncategorized | 0 comments

Just a test to see if this is working.