Posted on 03/27/2008 1:32:50 PM PDT by Gabz
Well that’s what happens when I do too much editing. Excuse the jumbled mess...
Just wondering how much area is needed to grow potatoes? I would love to have a few “new red potatoes” from my garden. Where do you get them? I have not seen any around here even at the local Co-op. Could be we are not in a good area for them, Central Miss.?
**Thanks for the mention**
Tanks for the idea!
**seed starting escapades**
This one involves a mouse, too. We put our trays of watermelon, cantaloupe, cukes, and squash on the floor to start them, since the tables are all full. Somewhere around 150 flats of 4 packs/48 cells to a flat. Mouse got in the greenhouse one year, dug down in the center of each flat, ate the point off the seed. We ended up with that many wasted flats of plants. They all came up still, but they came up blind—no leaves ever developed—just a stalk sticking up in the air. Needless to say, I declared war. He won the first battle, but I won the war!
We do all our seeding by hand. I was not a happy camper!
Just as the crocuses are starting to show and the ground to thaw out, we have a winter weather advisory. We’re expecting about 6 inches of snow by tomorrow morning. >>:((
Potatoes don’t need a whole lot of room and you can be very creative growing them. Some people grow them in old tires and jsut keep stacking the tires and adding dirt. Or you could try 5 gal buckets. Make sure they have holes in them! They need to be in the ground fairly soon—our temps seem to be about the same. Heat will get them. If ours aren’t ready by about mid-June, it’s too late and the heat kills the vines. Should have had mine in a month ago but I was waiting for my guys to make my rows. I’ve got 5 or 6 now, about 50’. I’ll do great until it gets hot and the bugs come out!
Sorry, though. :(
I’ve had crocuses coated in ice from an ice storm and do just fine. I’m sick of white is all. If I have to use a shovel, I want it to be for dirt not snow.
I’d like snow better if it wasn’t cold and wet.
I know what you mean. Our forecast is for rain and sleet tonight, rain and snow tomorrow night. Not bad, considering. This is the toughest time of year, imho. It just seems to drag on and on.
In the fall, winter and spring we store our onions and potatoes in the garage, where they keep very nicely. In the summer we switch them to the pantry in the kitchen.
We’ve talked about it, and I think an old refrigerator would probably work great. People around here used to do potato banks—it just doesn’t get cold enough anymore, and now we have fireants. Can you imagine sticking your hand into a potatoe bank and drawing it back covered in fireants? Sheesh!
Forgot to tell you—check your local garden centers for seed potatoes.
Failing that, plant the ones you get at the store. They’re not supposed to sprout, but they do. I did some Yukon gold that way one year. Actually you don’t even have to cut the potatoes in chunks—just peel them heavy and plant the peelings. We even broke some sprouts that had gotten long off the potatoes at teh garden center and planted them. they’re growing—don’t know if they’ll make—we’ll see.
Just checked your link—cool—but I’m in the wrong biz. We’re selling ours— POntiacs, Lasodas and Kennebecs for 50 cents a pound. Some of those were $13 and up. We sell a 50lb bag for 17.00
As far as I know, all you have to do is put them in the pantry and forget about them! Never fails! I threw some out last week—got behind/under something. They had sprouts several inches long on them. LOL
What seed do you find the most fascinating?
You’re right, seeds really are incredible, and seed saving is so much fun. I saved a few seeds last year for the first time ... snapdragons, petunias, hollyhocks, morning glories, and a few others. It was so fun ... also addicting. Last summer/fall, every time I saw a plant I liked walking down the street, I was tempted to grab some seeds. I’ve resisted the urge, as I don’t think that’s proper etiquette. It might be alright in a public park though.
I hope to do the same with veggies this year. I’m going to try to plant different types of squash: one pepo, one moschata, and an edible gourd ... that way hopefully I can save the seeds. I’m also reading up on how to bag tomato blossoms before they open so the seeds will be true to the plant. I’ve still got a lot to learn, so I’m not sure how this will all turn out, but it should be fun to try :)
I planted some spinach, lettuce, and carrot seeds in my raised garden bed the other day ... also transplanted some kohlrabi seedlings in neat little rows. Unfortunately, my puppies somehow got through the gate, and played in the garden bed. The teeny seedlings have disappeared. If sprouts do come up, they will not be in neat little rows any longer, but I’m sure they’ll taste just as good.
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