Cornish early potato growers have recovered from the wettest February on record to produce a ‘flourishing’ crop according to reports.
The wet weather meant that some growers were unable to plant anything in most of February and much of March due to waterlogging, but by adapting techniques and chitting seed, production has been maintained.
Major Cornish new potato grower FG Pryor & Son, which grows some 1,300 acres of potatoes in the county, told the Fresh Produce Journal that it had planted ‘on any dry day’ and that the wet March was ‘followed by a warm April with plenty of sunshine and just enough rain to help the plants flourish.’
Philip Pryor who runs the firm with his wife Denise commented that this is the third year in a row when the farm has planted cover crops as he wants “hand the land over to the next generation in the same or better state than it was handed to me.” Both Philip and Denise are members of Branston’s Producer Group in the South West and their son Warwick and daughter Amy are both actively involved in the farm.
Photo source: FG Pryor & Son / YouTube