Grain and hay are also grown in these fields.
Planting is carried out in a three year rotation.
This means that in the first year, potatoes are planted.
In the second year, usually oats or barley is planted, and underseeded at the same time with grass seed,
usually a mix of clovers and Timothy grass.
In the fall the grain is combined to harvest the grain crop, and then the grass grows fast in the cool fall weather, after having had a chance to develop its root system all summer under protection of the grain cover crop.
In the third year the grass grows to make a hay crop,
which is cut, dried and stored for animals
during the winter for feed. It also may be cut and left in the field to enrich the soil with organic matter as a
green manure crop.
In the fall of the third year the ground is ploughed to prepare the soil for the next year's potato crop.
May 18, 2011
This field was plowed last fall,
which means the grass sod was turned over in long strips,
so that the frost and snow during the winter
will break up the soil and the tough sod,
to make it easier to disc and harrow the field in the spring
to prepare it for planting potatoes.
You can notice the grass growing again.
You can also see the steam coming off the field like this
on certain days when the air temperature is colder
than the soil temperature.
June 7, 2011
The potato sets are planted in hills.
Potatoes grow and develop better in hills.
A potato set is a piece of a potato
that was cut in two or three pieces.
The roots and the leaves grow from the set,
from the eyes of the potato.
The farmer must plant a lot of potato sets to get a crop.
Looking to the left side you can see the tractor tracks
between the hills.
Looking to the left side you can see the tractor tracks
between the hills.
June 30, 2011
New potato leaves emerging.....
....a closeup view, showing how they push through
and lift up the clods of soil.
July 5, 2011
This is a field with a lot of interesting shapes,
which makes for a lot of wavy rows
and some short rows.
which makes for a lot of wavy rows
and some short rows.
Oats were seeded in the middle green area,
because the farmer did not have enough
potato sets to finish the field.
It is better to seed this area.
To leave it open and unseeded
would allow weeds grow and multiply
because they would have no competition from a crop.
To leave it open and unseeded
would allow weeds grow and multiply
because they would have no competition from a crop.
POTATO FIELD SNAKES
The tractor tracks are marked with two asterisks.
Whenever possible the farmer travels
in the same tracks to do the spraying
throughout the growing season.
throughout the growing season.
Often you will see two small flags at the ends of these rows.
They are set at intervals, to mark the tracks
where the tractor will travel,
They are set at intervals, to mark the tracks
where the tractor will travel,
so the farmer can easily find the tracks
as the crop grows bigger.
as the crop grows bigger.
This is important so that the sprayer,
which has very long arms reaching out on each side
will not miss spraying a row
or will not over spray where it has already been sprayed.
You can see the grass trying to grow in spite of the field having been cultivated and hilled, or "scuffled".
Weeds and grasses grow very fast at this time of year,
so it is very important to get the cultivation
done several times before the potatoes tops
have grown large. When they get big and fill in the rows,
their leaves will provide enough competition
against the weeds to prevent them from
taking over the field!
A zig-zag potato field!
Can you see the strip of grass across the
upper middle of the photo trying
upper middle of the photo trying
to get ahead of the potatoes?
Potato field geometry
In the middle you can see four short rows.
The planter seeds four rows at a time;
to the right of these four rows you can see
the next set of four rows,
with some grass at the ends of these rows,
because the tractor cannot cultivate
in these small triangles of green grass.
It requires real skill to plant and care for a field like this
and it makes a work of art for us to enjoy!
July 6, 2011
This plant is developing really fast....
....others are smaller or not even emerged yet.
July 22, 2011
Some plants are still a lot smaller and
there are some gaps in the rows.
Growing well and looking nice and healthy.
July 25, 2011
The rows are really filling in now....
....with the long days of heat and sunlight, and lots of moisture.
August 1, 2011
A damp, foggy day...
The rows are filling in, and...
...the oats have turned a pale green...
....because the seed pannicles have "headed out".
August 5, 2011
Oat plant in front and potato plants behind.
Potato plant flower.
They may also be white,
depending on the variety of potato.
September 5, 2011
The vines of the potato plants are beginning to turn yellow...
...as are the oats next to them.
September 14, 2011
The potato vines are dying back.
All their energy and nutrition is being used
to feed the tubers (potatoes) underground.
The oats are filling out the seeds and ripening.
All their energy and nutrition is being used
to feed the tubers (potatoes) underground.
The oats are filling out the seeds and ripening.
September 20, 2011
Some vines are quite dead now.
They are quite long at this point - about 1 meter.
Some vines are quite dead now.
They are quite long at this point - about 1 meter.
Uncovering the roots you can find the tubers
just below the soil surface.
Some are quite large, others very small;
about 10 potatoes on this plant.
just below the soil surface.
Some are quite large, others very small;
about 10 potatoes on this plant.
September 22, 2011
The field is turning brown, a mass of potato vines.
September 27, 2011
As the vines die back, there is room for the
grass and weeds
to make a bit of a comeback.
They are never far away!
Combining the oats, on a sunny day
when they are good and dry.
The wide front end of the machine is called the header.
It is lowered down to 15-30 cm. from the ground to cut the stalks of oats and feed them into the machine.
The machine threshes (beats) the oats.
The oat seeds are seperated from the straw and chaff,
and are collected in a large tank.
The straw and chaff is carried through the machine to go through a straw chopper and then out
the back onto the ground.
This is organic matter which is good for the soil,
and will be worked into the ground later on;
or the straw may not be chopped
but will be baled instead for bedding for animals.
September 28, 2011
This oat straw in a nearby field was baled,
to be used for litter for cows, horses,
sheep or pigs when they are kept in barns
during the winter.
October 4, 2011
Rows full of potatoes!
Some are showing through the ground.
They turn greenish from the light
which makes them unfit for eating.
October 12, 2011
Ready to harvest.
October 22, 2011
The weather has been quite wet during the last ten days, delaying the harvest.
This field is one day from completing the harvest.
The next post will show the harvesting operation.
The field is turning brown, a mass of potato vines.
As the vines die back, there is room for the
grass and weeds
to make a bit of a comeback.
They are never far away!
when they are good and dry.
The oat seeds are seperated from the straw and chaff,
and are collected in a large tank.
The straw and chaff is carried through the machine to go through a straw chopper and then out
the back onto the ground.
This is organic matter which is good for the soil,
and will be worked into the ground later on;
or the straw may not be chopped
but will be baled instead for bedding for animals.
This oat straw in a nearby field was baled,
to be used for litter for cows, horses,
sheep or pigs when they are kept in barns
during the winter.
Rows full of potatoes!
which makes them unfit for eating.
Ready to harvest.
The weather has been quite wet during the last ten days, delaying the harvest.
This field is one day from completing the harvest.
The next post will show the harvesting operation.
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