“Flowers have no effect on tuber production,” said Randy Smith, superintendent of the Aroostook Research Farm, an arm of the University of Maine, where spud growing is serious science. “Assuming disease is not a factor, small crops are usually a result of improper soil pH, or low fertility.”
“Potatoes are weeds,” he explained, “very vigorous, sturdy plants that will grow almost anywhere and stand up to a lot of abuse, but they will not produce big crops unless they have the right conditions.”
Potatoes prefer acid soil; a pH somewhere between 5.5 and 6 will work for most varieties, Mr. Smith said. And they must have a consistent source of nutrients.
Keep moving the potato patch, he advised, as diseases can linger in the soil for three to five years. And, he added, don’t forget that tubers all form above the seed piece. Be sure to hill up your plants (pile soil or straw around them as they grow). [Land]
Land, Leslie. “Pretty With a Purpose.” The New York Times. 6 May 2004. <www.nytimes.com/2004/05/06/garden/06QNA.html> (7 May 2004).