larrygrows
New member
- Joined
- Dec 27, 2024
- Messages
- 1
- Tractor
- NH Boomer, 45 hp
I have a Wunderbar disc hiller and potato plow. Have used it for 3 or 4 growing seasons in Central NY. Takes most of the sweat out of growing your own potatoes.
Two passes of the plow dig my planting trench in the spring. Garden bed is broken with a Fred Cain Field Cultivator, a couple weeks before I plant my potatoes. Drop in seed potatoes. I plant 8 to 10 inches deep. Rake or push in the dirt to fill the trench/ cover seed potatoes, and be patient. Potatoes grow and a few passes with disc hillers take out the weeds and hill the potatoes, during growing seson, until ready to harvest.
I set my discs at a 45 degree angle to the row, centered on the row, maybe a foot apart when plants are small. Depth to scrape and lift an inch or two of soil. As plants grow, you need a wider and taller hill. Move the discs further apart and set touch deeper to mound more soil, to almost bury your potato plant stems and kill weeds. I have 13 inch clearance under my tractor, so I can drive over my mounds. Plants are not damaged by a tractor brushing over them. Sometimes I have to hill the last time by hand, with a hoe. Dont do a 100 foot row on a hot afternoon!
To harvest, set the potato plow a couple inches deeper than you did at planting, to plow under and lift all the potatoes. Lower plow as you drive along the tow , slowly. Have lots of 5 gallon pails handy to pick up the harvest. I get about 100 lbs of potatoes in a 70 foot row.
Tried the potato plow harvesting sweet potatoes last year. It worked great. Cut off the sprawling vines. Set plow depth to go under the sweet potatoes. You need to hand dig the first sweet potato plant, to find the potatoes depth.
When you think you have found all the potatoes, make another pass or two in the trench with the potato plow. You will be amazed at what you left behind.
FILL THE TRENCH, TO AVOID FALLING IN IT WALKING AROUND IN THE GARDEN AFTER DARK.
2 years ago I hooked the potato plow on a big buried rock. Plow survived, only needing to hammer the tip to straighten it. The lock washer on the tool bar clamp, pulled through the clamp, and the threaded stud bent. Not repairable. Needed to replace it. Woodward Crossing has them on hand.The impact was enough to stall the tractor.
I added threaded stud diameter sized flat washers under all lock washers in all bolted connections on the Wunderbar to prevent the pull through failure from repeating. CNY has lots of big buried rocks! The slightly oversized hole in the clamp for the threaded stud, that makes set up easier, but might leave a portion of the lockwasher unsupported, particularly if its twisting. I used truck washers, as they are thicker than regular washers.
The Wunderbar works great! Potatoes are now much less work than corn, and have a long shelf life.
Two passes of the plow dig my planting trench in the spring. Garden bed is broken with a Fred Cain Field Cultivator, a couple weeks before I plant my potatoes. Drop in seed potatoes. I plant 8 to 10 inches deep. Rake or push in the dirt to fill the trench/ cover seed potatoes, and be patient. Potatoes grow and a few passes with disc hillers take out the weeds and hill the potatoes, during growing seson, until ready to harvest.
I set my discs at a 45 degree angle to the row, centered on the row, maybe a foot apart when plants are small. Depth to scrape and lift an inch or two of soil. As plants grow, you need a wider and taller hill. Move the discs further apart and set touch deeper to mound more soil, to almost bury your potato plant stems and kill weeds. I have 13 inch clearance under my tractor, so I can drive over my mounds. Plants are not damaged by a tractor brushing over them. Sometimes I have to hill the last time by hand, with a hoe. Dont do a 100 foot row on a hot afternoon!
To harvest, set the potato plow a couple inches deeper than you did at planting, to plow under and lift all the potatoes. Lower plow as you drive along the tow , slowly. Have lots of 5 gallon pails handy to pick up the harvest. I get about 100 lbs of potatoes in a 70 foot row.
Tried the potato plow harvesting sweet potatoes last year. It worked great. Cut off the sprawling vines. Set plow depth to go under the sweet potatoes. You need to hand dig the first sweet potato plant, to find the potatoes depth.
When you think you have found all the potatoes, make another pass or two in the trench with the potato plow. You will be amazed at what you left behind.
FILL THE TRENCH, TO AVOID FALLING IN IT WALKING AROUND IN THE GARDEN AFTER DARK.
2 years ago I hooked the potato plow on a big buried rock. Plow survived, only needing to hammer the tip to straighten it. The lock washer on the tool bar clamp, pulled through the clamp, and the threaded stud bent. Not repairable. Needed to replace it. Woodward Crossing has them on hand.The impact was enough to stall the tractor.
I added threaded stud diameter sized flat washers under all lock washers in all bolted connections on the Wunderbar to prevent the pull through failure from repeating. CNY has lots of big buried rocks! The slightly oversized hole in the clamp for the threaded stud, that makes set up easier, but might leave a portion of the lockwasher unsupported, particularly if its twisting. I used truck washers, as they are thicker than regular washers.
The Wunderbar works great! Potatoes are now much less work than corn, and have a long shelf life.
