Once again the leg train grinds to a halt

From the end of last week, arable farmers and contractors were able to plant plenty of potatoes again. The exception to this may remain the southeast of the Netherlands. It is so wet there that plots are soaked. The high areas have now been sown and planted, but lower areas are forced to remain. Even half of the sugar beets are only in the ground here. That is extreme for mid-May.

It is estimated that around 60% of the potatoes in our country have now been planted. Particularly in the center and north of the country, a lot of work has already been done or planting is almost complete. On the other hand, a lot of work still needs to be done in the southeast and the east, among others.

2 days ago still happy with legs...
Yes, usually you are only happy once. pic.twitter.com/2UTiZ6UJLU

— Jaap Vos (@langepacht) May 16, 2024

Heavy showers
Planting is also experiencing major delays in the southwest. Until the beginning of this week, onions and sugar beets were still sown and companies took the moment to plant. Heavy rain showers swept over this part of the country on Wednesday, May 16. Locally, between 40 and 60 millimeters of precipitation fell in a very short time. South Beveland and Zeeuws-Vlaanderen, among others, were hit hard.

The legacy of last autumn is certainly noticeable on the heavier soil. The surface is simply not good and does not dry. Conditions are somewhat better on lighter soils, especially those that could be cultivated in time. Only time will tell how this will ultimately work out in terms of yield.

In Belgium, a lot of water also fell between Sint-Niklaas and Antwerp; between 25 and 50 millimeters. Fortunately, West Flanders was spared this time. Viaverda estimates that 40% of consumption potatoes in Belgium have been planted in mid-May. It should be noted that the regional differences are very large. In Wallonia, growers are generally further along with their plants than in Flanders.

Rotting seed potatoes
The long waiting period before planting also has consequences for the seed potatoes. Because many upper sizes have been used this season, cutting is the order of the day. Viaverda receives a lot of sounds from cut seed potatoes rotting in the box or in the ground. This concerns bacteria and fungal infections that have ended up on the tubers during cutting. Using other seed potatoes is virtually impossible, because they are simply not available. The organization advises growers to contact their buyer to revise the contract. Especially when very high amounts have been paid for seed potatoes, poor quality is a huge downer.

It has also become wet in France. In the north, towards the Belgian border, some rain fell, but planting was still possible on Wednesday. This is not possible further south and southeast. There was sometimes very heavy rainfall locally, causing plots to become flooded. Planting progress is somewhat ahead of Belgium, with an estimated 60% or more that has been planted.

Quite an interesting setting next week. EC and GFS are already coming for a few runs with a lot of rain on Wednesday. That is still quite some progress, but it is still interesting to keep an eye on how things will develop. pic.twitter.com/Cx99Bs2BAF

— RobertDeVries.net (@weermanrobert) May 16, 2024

New precipitation
Precipitation is again planned for the remaining days. The weather models come up with a lot of precipitation. Local downpours cannot be ruled out. The month of May is flying by and time is running out for potatoes.