| Please help! Last year I planted potatoes, (I have been growing them for a number of years), I got lots of potatoes but when they were cooked they were all mushy. Is there something missing in the soil to cause this? |
| The starch content of the potato makes it mealy or waxy, with the lower starch, higher sugar types being better for boiling. Russets, for instance tend to be good baking potatoes but do not boil well. You might want to experiment with a different variety if you grew russets. Storage temperature can also affect the sugar to starch conversion rate, with the aim being to keep the potatoes warm enough to preserve quality yet cool enough that they do not shrivel during storage. Too high a temperature could cause them to lose sugar and some varieties are more sensitive to storage temperature than others. Curing temperatures can also cause such changes. If you grew the same varieties as usual, you might review the curing and storage procedures for anything different. Finally, you might check with your county extension and see if other growers in your area had a similar experience due to the weather and precipitation patterns last summer. I'm sorry I can't be more specific. |
