Potato Crop Lines

It was quite hazy (and, to be honest, a little chilly) when I set off for my walk just after 6 a.m. The sun soon punched through and I was quite warm after 90 minutes and 4 miles… :-)

I stopped to grab this shot of a potato crop with the lines of mounds and furrows disappearing into the murky distance. The field is divided into sections and and the piece behind where I stood for this shot has a crop that is much more advanced. They were all planted at the around the same time so I wonder if they are different varieties.

I am intrigued by the ‘double’ rows of mounds for ‘earthing up’ - they alternate with the deeper furrows!! Any farmers out there may be able to explain the reasons for this rather than just a single mound of earth for each row. Is it something to do with moisture retention or crop yield?