Canadá: Cold, wet weather a challenge for Prince Edward Island potato farmers

 “This year’s harvest is probably one of the tougher ones,” said Darryl Wallace, chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board. Potatoes don’t store well when they come out of the ground wet, Wallace said. They’ll bruise more easily if they’re too cold and if you put them in storage with frost in them, they’ll break down faster.

The cold morning temperatures mean farmers can’t start their harvest until the afternoon when the weather warms up. Some farmers are starting at 1 p.m. and not finishing their days until after midnight, trying to harvest using the lights from the trucks and tractors, Wallace said. “That makes for a long day when you’re digging into the wee hours of the morning…. It’s always harder in the dark.”