Crop Talk: A Year of Potatoes at High Ledge Farm

It's that time again - I’m planning for this year’s potato crop and wanted to share some of my excitement for the season ahead. High Mowing has built a comprehensive collection of seed potatoes that brings value to the commercial grower (or gardener) over the whole harvest season. We offer varieties for all the main seasonal slots that also have good yields, good flavor, and are reliably going to succeed on your farm. After growing potatoes at High Ledge Farm for 16 years, I know that it’s important to capture value with varieties that really work. This is how a season works for me: If the season is off to a cool, wet start (as it often is here in VT), I'll get a head start by greensprouting my potatoes, transforming them into verdant transplants before planting. If it warms up early, I'll usually plant unsprouted (dormant) seed potatoes. I start the season with Dark Red Norland as a new potato, digging them early when the price is high and the eating quality is off the charts.

This year I’ll be following them with Purple Viking, which is another great early variety that brings lots of color to the farmers market stand. All Red is a real workhorse for me; it gets big early in the season, and they just glow as a new potato. The plant is also more compact, so it’s easier to get over it with the tractor, and you can keep the edges cleaner. After that I move into German Butterball, which has exceptional flavor, especially as a new potato, and puts on production at an early stage. It’s great for potato salad or roasting, and my customers are always asking when I’ll have some at my stand.

Red Chieftain I like for a main season; it has a bigger yield potential for me than the Norlands, so I like to let that one go full season and not rob it for new potatoes. They store well, and I like the flavor of them. Of the late fingerlings I like Russian Banana. It’s more approachable in its size uniformity, isn't too knobby and you can harvest it mechanically without it getting banged up. It does spread outwards, so when you’re hilling you need to be attentive.

Elba is one of my storage workhorses. The disease resistance is nice and I like its pubescent leaves, since the potato beetles aren't interested in eating them. The plants are super vigorous and make a lot of potatoes, they’re great for Thanksgiving mashed potatoes, and they store well so I’m able to supply my CSA with potatoes for the whole season. That’s my potato season - I hope it gives you a sense of how our collection can meet your needs and engage your customers. - Paul Betz, Farmer & Commercial Grower Sales Rep