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A Potato Arms Race
8 Apr 2024 08:10 amYes, it's time to plant the potatoes. Last fall I did put in some potatoes because I thought it'd save me time come spring. Those potatoes are in raised beds. They are just poking through and looking good. Some are a little slower to start. It's early yet. I also planted a few grow bags. I emptied one grow bag and yes, there was a nice little potato in it. It just hadn't started yet.
I poked through the basement where I keep the potatoes over winter. It used to get very cold in the coal cellar. Not so much these days. At its coldest this winter, the coal cellar hit 45 degrees. Needless to say, I had potato vines everywhere. I only had two containers in the basement. The first was a Purple Viking Potato with 13 spuds. The second was an Austrian Crescent Potato. Perfect. That's about the number of grow bags I have. The vines weren't too long. They've been a mess in past years.
I have mature worm castings and soil. I was going to try a Ruth Stout method and just cover the potatoes with dead grass or leaves. I filled 13 bags about half way full. For me, the onerous part is spending so much time bent over. I call it standing on my head. My compost bin is deep and I have a long way to reach. Two things I've learned as a woman gardener, wear a tight fitting shirt or one that's tucked in. The neighbors don't get a peek for free. And second, the type of bra you wear matters. Yes, standing on my head is an apt metaphor. 13 bags is all I could handle in a day. Because, after they are full, they need to be moved to their spot of residence in the yard. Most of my bags have handles, but not all. I can manage two at a time. I lined the driveway and started on the front walkway. There was a lot more reaching into bins to grab the leaves. When I ran out of leaves, I grabbed a scissors and cut the pernicious garlic chives that took over the front yard.
Now I'm congratulating myself, thinking I only have to do this one more time. I gathered containers for tomorrow. Then I got to thinking. I was growing French Fingerings, Austrian Crescents, Purple Viking, a Real Red, and the store bought Yukon Golds. I only planted the Yukon Golds last fall., didn't I? Where were the others? It was one of those "Ah shit" moments. I never put those containers away last fall. We had to rearrange the kitchen when we got the new fridge. The cord wasn't long enough to reach the electrical outlet. The table got pushed in front of my shelving unit. I have two boxes of vines climbing the wall behind the shelves and fridge. It wasn't as bad as I feared.
Now on to the next problem, where to plant them? Truly, plants that are in the nightshade family should not be put together. I already have 15-20 tomato plants planned for the year and 3 Eggplants. I can't put them in the same bed. Okay, more grow bags need to be ordered. I went to Botanical Interests/Epic Gardening. Not that I have anything against other shops, but these guys are fast. I have less than a two week window to get these potatoes planted. Otherwise we hit the heat of summer and they die or are extremely stunted.
Next problem, soil. I ran out of worm castings and potting mix. The co-op no longer has bags of soil. Not sure if they'll reorder anytime soon. The hardware store was getting down there too. They've also had labor problems and are closed more often. I want a nice organic OMRI rated mix. The whole point of growing my own food is to control the chemicals that go into it. As much as I hate giving my money to Jeff Bezos, I headed 36 miles north to the only Whole Foods that carries the Soil Mechanics potting mix. At least it was the same price as the food co-op's.
That was yesterday's excursion. Today I'll move on to the next batch of potatoes and get those planted. I'll change the name of the potatoes to Renfri Vellga. You Witcher fans will know why.
I poked through the basement where I keep the potatoes over winter. It used to get very cold in the coal cellar. Not so much these days. At its coldest this winter, the coal cellar hit 45 degrees. Needless to say, I had potato vines everywhere. I only had two containers in the basement. The first was a Purple Viking Potato with 13 spuds. The second was an Austrian Crescent Potato. Perfect. That's about the number of grow bags I have. The vines weren't too long. They've been a mess in past years.
I have mature worm castings and soil. I was going to try a Ruth Stout method and just cover the potatoes with dead grass or leaves. I filled 13 bags about half way full. For me, the onerous part is spending so much time bent over. I call it standing on my head. My compost bin is deep and I have a long way to reach. Two things I've learned as a woman gardener, wear a tight fitting shirt or one that's tucked in. The neighbors don't get a peek for free. And second, the type of bra you wear matters. Yes, standing on my head is an apt metaphor. 13 bags is all I could handle in a day. Because, after they are full, they need to be moved to their spot of residence in the yard. Most of my bags have handles, but not all. I can manage two at a time. I lined the driveway and started on the front walkway. There was a lot more reaching into bins to grab the leaves. When I ran out of leaves, I grabbed a scissors and cut the pernicious garlic chives that took over the front yard.
Now I'm congratulating myself, thinking I only have to do this one more time. I gathered containers for tomorrow. Then I got to thinking. I was growing French Fingerings, Austrian Crescents, Purple Viking, a Real Red, and the store bought Yukon Golds. I only planted the Yukon Golds last fall., didn't I? Where were the others? It was one of those "Ah shit" moments. I never put those containers away last fall. We had to rearrange the kitchen when we got the new fridge. The cord wasn't long enough to reach the electrical outlet. The table got pushed in front of my shelving unit. I have two boxes of vines climbing the wall behind the shelves and fridge. It wasn't as bad as I feared.
Now on to the next problem, where to plant them? Truly, plants that are in the nightshade family should not be put together. I already have 15-20 tomato plants planned for the year and 3 Eggplants. I can't put them in the same bed. Okay, more grow bags need to be ordered. I went to Botanical Interests/Epic Gardening. Not that I have anything against other shops, but these guys are fast. I have less than a two week window to get these potatoes planted. Otherwise we hit the heat of summer and they die or are extremely stunted.
Next problem, soil. I ran out of worm castings and potting mix. The co-op no longer has bags of soil. Not sure if they'll reorder anytime soon. The hardware store was getting down there too. They've also had labor problems and are closed more often. I want a nice organic OMRI rated mix. The whole point of growing my own food is to control the chemicals that go into it. As much as I hate giving my money to Jeff Bezos, I headed 36 miles north to the only Whole Foods that carries the Soil Mechanics potting mix. At least it was the same price as the food co-op's.
That was yesterday's excursion. Today I'll move on to the next batch of potatoes and get those planted. I'll change the name of the potatoes to Renfri Vellga. You Witcher fans will know why.
