I am in North Saanich on the southern end of Vancouver Island. Next Spring I am going to expand my small vegetable garden and I'd like to grow a few potatoes. If possible I would like to grow early potatoes and then follow with a crop of something else. Perhaps late potatoes. When could I plant early potatoes ? When would they be harvested ? Would there still be time to grow late potatoes on the same spot and when might they be ready to harvest.
I don't think that would work. As a rule you plant early potatoes and late potatoes at the same time. At least that is what I have always done. It is also not a good idea to plant the same crop in the same spot twice in a row. It tends to cause more disease and pest problems.
Yes, even in Ecuador where we don't have winter conditions, early-harvest and late-harvest potatoes get planted at the same time. And JanR has a point - the same crop in the same field for two cycles increases pest problems and suceptibility to diseases. Rotation is the name of the game!
Although I have had a vegetable garden for a number of years, next year will be my first growing potatoes. So if I understand this correctly, the early varieties are harvested early because they have a shorter growing period ? Are they also planted earlier than the late harvest ?
Early potatoes mature faster than late ones, but both are planted at the same time. I've also noted that the early crop comes in just a touch smaller than the late crop, but this may also have to do with the variety of the potato; our early crop are a variety called 'Atahualpa' and our lates are a purple-skinned variety with gold-striped flesh called 'Oro Morado.' The Atahualpas are ready in 3 to 3.5 months, and the Oro Morado in 5 or so. I always gauge it by when the plant has set berries.
Hola Lorax : Thanks for your reply. Now I understand the difference between early and late. I'll plant both types in the Spring. I only need to grow enough for my wife and me. Our goal is to try and be as self sufficient in vegetables as possible. We are attempting to become locavores and having a productive vegetable garden, no matter how small, is a great start. BTW I think it is so cool that I got reply about my potato question from someone in Ecuador.
