Per my conversation with a customer in NY: She grows potatoes without a whole lot of problems using  Ree-May-R spun polyester row cover available at Home Depot. It is white, lets in the light and water and keeps the flying insects out. She digs a trench, buries the row cover, leaving slack so as the plants grow, they can push up the row cover. She goes out in the evening for a little while to weed and hill and then immediately covers the plants back up. The crucial thing is to keep the row cover buried in the trench so nothing can get in. With proper care, she said that she can re-use the row cover for 3 growing seasons. She said she uses this method every year and has great success growing potatoes without problems from the CO potato beetle! Thanks, Denise J
 
The Colorado potato beetle is the most widespread and destructive potato pest. Both adults and larvae feed on the leaves and stems, sometimes defoliating entire plants. Hand picking is a fine control, if the problem is small and you catch it early. Pick into containers, then smash them all at once. Beetles over-winter in the soil, especially at the edges of the garden. Rotating your potato crop is essential!       

Plan a trap: as early in the spring as you can manage, set out eggplants near last year's potato patch. Beetles love eggplants, and over-wintering bugs will find your trap directly. Pick and destroy, and plant your potatoes later, in a new location.  

This time of year we have customers that place their orders today and whish that we would ship them now or even yesterday. However, we have thousands of previously placed orders to pack and ship, starting with the earliest ones placed. So if you are placing your order now, the approximate time for you to receive your seed potatoes is 2 to 2 1/2  weeks. You may put ASAP on your shipping date knowing that ASAP means 2 to 2 1/2 weeks for delivery. See also Your Shipping Date on the Home Page.

Our packing facility is currently maxed out for shipping orders this week, the week of April 28th. So the soonest we can ship new orders will be the week of May 5th. You may also request shipping on weeks after the May 5th date, clear through the summer.

We’ve had freezing temperatures since mid December and haven’t been able to ship. We are looking at a good temperature forcast for Monday, the 18th, and plan on shipping all orders that have been delayed. For sure we'll start our regular seasonal shipping by the first of March.

We finished planting our garlic patch for this year and have a small quantity left:

Chesnok Red
Chet's Italian
Red Toch
Silver Rose
Silver White
Simonetti

We can ship this Tuesday and Wednesday and then next week.

We will be updating the potatoes in the next 2 weeks and you'll be able to order for shipping now or for shipping next year. Many of the Naturally grown potatoes are available now for shipping.