Last year, the potato harvest had started very early during the first week of July, but this year, it will begin very late. “We should start harvesting at the end of this week. We are at least three weeks late for all our varieties. We went from one extreme to another between the 2020 and the 2021 season,” explains David Triffault, sales manager at Jardin de Limagne.
Bad start of the campaign
This delay in the harvest is largely due to the cooler temperatures and the rainy weather that affected the crops during planting. “It was particularly cold when planting took place between the end of March and the beginning of April. Temperatures went down to -9/-10°C while the ground temperature needs to be above 10°C to get the growth started. We’ve also had heavy storms with over 100mm of rain and two big hailstorms. Therefore, the campaign started very poorly and we now need 2 to 3 weeks with warm and stable temperatures.”
Heterogeneous sizes
It is still difficult to estimate the volumes that will be harvested, but the current information is quite reassuring for the expected quality. “The positive point is that we have not had any disease problems until now. We were expecting to have mildew but in the end, temperatures were not high enough for the mushroom to develop. For the moment, the quality of the samples is quite good. The tubers are rather clear, with a nice skin. We must now wait to see what will happen with the harvest. What is certain is that the calibres will be more heterogeneous than last year, with a majority of larger sizes. As for the yields, they will be very heterogeneous from one variety to another.”
For more information:
David Triffault
Jardin de Limagne
ZAC de Julhiat
63260 Aigueperse, France
Phone: +33 4 73 64 22 23
www.jardindelimagne.com
david.triffault@jardindelimagne.fr