Boosting Potato Yields: Practical Tips for Small and Medium Farmers

Introduction

For farmers across Ireland and beyond, potatoes are more than just a crop—they’re a livelihood and often a key part of rural traditions. Achieving consistently high yields and premium-quality tubers requires a careful balance between inputs, labour, and sustainability. Boosting yield and quality while keeping costs and environmental impact low is a delicate but achievable task. Whether you’re working a small family farm with limited resources or managing a medium-sized operation aiming to scale up, practical, hands-on solutions tailored to your farm’s needs can make all the difference. Here’s how you can achieve healthier, more productive potato crops without breaking the bank, ensuring both profitability and environmental stewardship.

1. Start with Your Soil: Healthy Soil, Healthy Potatoes

Potatoes thrive in well-prepared soil. If your soil isn’t in good shape, even the best seeds and inputs won’t deliver great results.

Test Your Soil: Before planting, take a sample of your soil and send it for testing. Testing kits are available through local agricultural suppliers or co-operatives. You’ll need to know the pH (potatoes prefer slightly acidic soil, around 5.0–6.5) and nutrient levels. Proper pH management can increase yields by 10–20%, as potatoes are highly sensitive to acidic soils.
Improve Organic Matter: Increasing organic matter by just 1% can improve water retention by up to 20,000 gallons per acre, benefiting potato crops during dry spells. Work in well-rotted manure, compost, or plant a green manure like clover during the off-season. This also improves drainage and reduces compaction.
Rotate Crops: Avoid growing potatoes in the same field every year. Rotating with cereals, legumes, or brassicas can increase yields by 15–20% due to improved soil health and reduced pest pressures.

2. Feed Your Crop: Balanced Fertilisation for Better Yields

Fertilising doesn’t have to mean expensive inputs. It’s about giving your crop what it needs, no more and no less.

Use What You Have: If you have access to farmyard manure or slurry, use it! Potatoes are heavy feeders and remove about 4 kg of nitrogen, 1.8 kg of phosphorus, and 8 kg of potassium per tonne of tubers harvested. Apply manure well before planting to avoid scab disease.
Get the Balance Right: Balanced fertiliser application can improve potato yields by 15–30%. Focus on fertilisers with potassium (for starch and size) and phosphorus (for root development). Overdoing nitrogen can reduce yields by up to 25% due to excessive leaf growth at the expense of tubers.
Apply Gradually: Instead of applying all the fertiliser at once, split the application. Start with a base dressing and then top up as the plants grow.

3. Choose the Right Variety for Your Needs

Different potato varieties have different strengths. Picking the right one depends on your market, soil type, and local climate.

For Fresh Markets: Varieties like 'Rooster' or 'Maris Piper' are reliable favourites with good all-round disease resistance. 'Rooster' alone accounts for 60% of the Irish potato market and yields up to 45 tonnes per hectare under optimal conditions.
For Processing or Starch: Look for varieties with higher dry matter content, such as 'Golden Wonder'. These varieties are particularly valued in the chip and crisp markets.
Ask Local Experts: Check with your neighbours, local agronomists, or the Department of Agriculture to find out which varieties perform best in your area.

4. Manage Water Wisely

Inconsistent watering can lead to problems like uneven tuber size, cracking, or disease. Thankfully, you don’t need a fancy irrigation system to get it right.

Keep an Eye on Moisture: Potatoes need approximately 500–700 mm of water during the growing season, especially during tuber bulking (6–10 weeks after planting). Use simple tools like moisture meters or even manual soil checks.
Avoid Overwatering: Too much water can cause waterlogged soils and diseases like blackleg. Drip irrigation, which improves water efficiency by 25–50%, is a great option for small-scale farms.
Collect and Store Rainwater: Setting up rain barrels can save money and provide water during dry spells. This is especially useful for farms without access to large-scale irrigation systems.

5. Stay Ahead of Pests and Diseases

Pests and diseases like blight, aphids, and wireworms are major threats to potato crops, but small steps can go a long way in managing them.

Blight Protection: Late blight can cause yield losses of up to 100% in untreated fields. Use resistant varieties like ‘Rooster’ to reduce the risk by 30–50%, and monitor weather alerts for high-risk periods to apply fungicides effectively.
Natural Predators: Encourage ladybirds and lacewings to control aphids naturally by planting wildflowers or leaving grassy strips around your fields. Biological controls can reduce pest populations by 40–70%, reducing dependency on chemical pesticides.
Crop Hygiene: Remove leftover potatoes from fields after harvest, as these "volunteer plants" can harbour pests and diseases for the next season.

6. Perfect Planting and Harvesting Techniques

Getting planting and harvesting right can make all the difference to your yield and quality.

Seed Spacing: Space your seed potatoes about 30cm apart in rows 75cm apart. Proper spacing allows each plant enough room to grow and prevents overcrowding.
Depth Matters: Plant seed potatoes around 10–15cm deep to protect them from frost and ensure even emergence.
Harvest with Care: Dig gently to avoid bruising or cutting the tubers. A well-timed harvest, after skins have set, reduces storage losses by 10–20%.

7. Post-Harvest Handling for Long-Lasting Quality

Once harvested, proper storage ensures your potatoes stay fresh and marketable.

Cure Before Storing: Leave your potatoes in a dark, cool place (10–15°C) for 1–2 weeks after harvesting to heal small cuts and bruises.
Store in the Right Conditions: Maintain storage temperatures of 4–8°C for table potatoes and slightly higher for processing varieties. Proper storage can extend shelf life by 3–6 months and reduce post-harvest losses by 30–40%.

8. Embrace Practical Technology

You don’t need the latest gadgets to improve your farm. Many affordable technologies are farmer-friendly.

Use Apps for Advice: Apps like Teagasc’s Crop Nutrient Calculator can help you figure out exactly how much fertiliser you need.
Simple Tools: Soil moisture sensors, pH meters, and camera traps for pests are inexpensive yet effective.

9. Keep Sustainability Front and Centre

Sustainability isn’t just good for the environment—it can save you money and future-proof your farm.

Reuse Organic Inputs: Compost crop residues and use them to enrich the soil. This can reduce dependency on chemical fertilisers.
Plant Cover Crops: In the off-season, cover crops like mustard or rye can suppress weeds, reduce erosion by up to 80%, and increase soil carbon by 0.3–1.5 tonnes per hectare annually.

Conclusion

Boosting potato yields and quality doesn’t have to be complicated. By focusing on healthy soil, balanced fertilisation, smart variety choices, and consistent watering, farmers can see real improvements without overspending. Simple steps like staying ahead of pests, refining planting and harvesting practices, and adopting affordable tools can make a big difference.

Sustainability is key—using organic inputs, rotating crops, and planting cover crops not only supports the environment but also secures the future of your farm. With these practical, hands-on approaches, small and medium-scale farmers can grow healthier, more productive potato crops and keep this vital tradition thriving.

*By Anne Hayden MSc., Founder, The Informed Farmer Consultancy.