Potatoe harvesting

Laminarman · May 11, 2005

How does one harvest potatoes with a middle buster? Do you place the blade on the row and drop it? Or run between the rows? Little confused here. The property we purchased has acidic, well drained soil and was previously a potato farm. I'm thinking of planting an acre next year for giggles, but don't want to dig them all up by hand.

Bird · May 12, 2005

Straddle the row with the tractor, drop the point of the middle buster right in the row and the faster you run, the better you scatter the dirt and potatoes to make it easier to find them all. At least that's been my experience.

cmhyland · May 12, 2005

If you plant potato's your going to have to continue to hill them several times before harvest.

Your going to need cultivators and hilling plows...

Regards,
Chris

redlevel · May 12, 2005

Would those be Sweet Taters, or Irish Taters?

My Dad used to harvest Sweet Taters with an 8-n with a special terrace plow. You had to remove the fenders from the tractor to get the plow on. It hooked to the 3pt. hitch, but instead of riding behind it, it rode in front of it (the 3pt. hitch) under the belly of the tractor. I think it also bolted through the holes where the fenders bolted on. The plow wouldn't fit a 600 or a Dexta-just an 8-n. It was designed for building terraces.

It left the taters on top of the ground.

Laminarman · May 12, 2005

Cmhyland and others, please elaborate. If it means buying more equipment...well...I'll tell my wife you told me I need it. I have a six foot set of HD discs, two bottom plow, rake but no hilling type equipment. I can get a Tractor Supply set of cultivators for under $200, just saw them today. Do I need a set of hilling discs also?? I'm not all that smart about potatoes. But I grew a **** of a bunch of brassicas for my deer last year so that's my limit of farming. I will likely plant one acre of winter wheat this fall, till it under and plant taters next spring. Or I may just let it lie fallow over the winter after turning it.