Brian ÓAs a total novice potato farmer I have a bit of a mystery as to why these two results are so different. The plants in the two photos were only planted days apart, and have had equal sun and water, but the results are starkly different. Granted, there are a few important variables at play.
Both planters were started by filling them half way to the top with homemade compost. I then placed two seed potatoes on the surface of each and filled the planters up to the top. The one with the lush growth was topped with more of my own compost and mulched with straw. The one with the poor growth was topped with expensive bagged manure compost and mulched with dead leaves. Finally, each planter has a different variety of potato in it, though I forget now which is which.
Anyone care to opine? Is it just down to different varieties? Could the pricey bagged soil actually suck? What do you think?
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