October rains frustrating potato harvest

The chair of the P.E.I. Potato Board says he hasn't been able to harvest any potatoes since Tuesday, and that's been a common experience for farmers across the Island this month.

Very few farmers were able to dig on Saturday, said Darryl Wallace. The harvest is stressful at the best of times, said Wallace, and this year has been particularly difficult.

"I've been at this for over 30 years now and I don't ever remember two full days back to back where it's at least fine and you can't dig," he said.

"This has been a tough year right from the start. We had a late spring with frosts right into the spring. We had a long dry summer and then we had an early frost in late September."

The average rainfall for October at Charlottetown Airport is 112.2 mm, and as of Sunday 165.8 mm had fallen this month. The rain has been steady, with just six days with no rain recorded.

The forecast is showery for Monday and Tuesday, and then clearing before the rain returns Thursday night and continuing through to the end of the week.

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With files from Isabella Zavarise