The new compost pile panels cut, and laid out on the plastic that I tacked down.
The panels put together and compost pile ready to go. I left enough room between the two that I can easily walk around both of them.
/johnny
Posted on 11/08/2013 12:23:38 PM PST by greeneyes
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—To my knowledge, I’ve never seen a fingerling potato, just pictures.—
They have them in the the grocery store, but are a bit pricey compared to other taters. The flavor is very good, makes them worth buying occasionally.
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First let's get something straight. The people who asked to be on the gardening list are not just normal people, they are extraordinary people, extremely helpful, and congenial.LOL
Second everyone’s planting date varies a bit due to differences in weather in the various climate zones.
Potatoes can be planted from late winter to late spring-as early as a month before the average last frost date(50/50 chance of frost). Missouri's extension service advises April 1 to April 15. April 20 is our 20% chance of frost date.
You can choose early, mid-season, and late potatoes, so as to have several harvests during the growing season. Ideal weather is 45 - 80 degrees, sufficient water, but not too much. Nutrients for side dressing: 5-10-10.
Two weeks before planting, “green sprout” the potatoes. This means you put them in the light and let the sprouts grow and become green. Then cut the potatoes about the size of one half a large egg with 2 eyes or sprouts. Many people let the potato hardened a few days before planting, but some go ahead and plant immediately after the cut the tubers.
It is important to hill up soil or add straw to keep the tubers(not the leaves) free from sunlight. Potatoes exposed to sunlight over the growing season will be green next to the skin. This is toxic, and must be trimmed off. I piled up straw and did not have any green this year.
Potatoes can be harvested around the time they bloom, but will be bigger if you wait until the plants die down.
I haven't ever planted the sweet potatoes. I planted Dakota Pearls (good for potato chips) and Butte Russet.
Did you get the Ball Blue Book of Canning and Preserving? They have lots of great recipes. I have made strawberry preserves a long time ago.
The water bath canner is great for fruits and veggies that are acid or that you will pickle. Watermelon rind is good too as a sweet pickle type of snack.
I use the pressure canner for meats.
Your determination is admirable. I would never have the stamina to try to excavate something that large by hand.
That is amazing isn’t it. Both are pretty, but I like the plants best.
Thanks. I am back now - all safe and sound. Got a lot of painting done and gutters cleaned out. Will have to try to get back again some nice weekend to try to finish up.
We had a three Early Girl maters that were first to produce and produced vigorously till we cut down the garden and cleaned it up for winter. They were still producing maters when we killed them, and were the the best producers(sometimes ten at once per plant) of all the maters we planted, about 20 plants of about 8 varieties. They are bush type, not vine mater plants.
My favorites were brandywine, cherokee purple, big beefsteak, and big boy. These are the only ones we will plant next year.
Oh, you do painting and gutter clean outs; would you like to come to SE Texas and be a Snowbird for a while? lol
Gunna be nasty tomorrow, cloudy, windy and low of 29. Our first taste of winter.
http://www.intellicast.com/Local/Weather.aspx?location=USTX0286
Rightly, I'll copy your tomato info..
You and sockmonkey told me I can get fingerling potatoes at the grocery. Next time I go to grocery will look for the fingerling potatoes. Maybe they cost more because not many are grown. Guess I could grow them and sell them on the side of the road and become wealthy. :o)
Yes, I got the Ball Blue Book - that was the first item I got pertaining to canning. I won’t be canning meats and won’t have a pressure canner.
Let me know if Krokers doesn’t have them and I will bring you a bag from HEB. Maybe Wally has them, I don’t go to Wally often.
I don’t know how you do everything you do!
I can go to HEB if Kroger doesn't have them. I don't know why I've never noticed them. I didn't know there was such a plant and I've never eaten one. I do think they will be easier to grow in containers than the large potatoes would be. They will be easy and fast to cook - split them and fry/sauté in butter or olive oil or Canola oil.
This morning, I brazenly stole biomass directly from my neighbor's front yard. It went into the compost pile for later use in the garden.
Of course, he didn't see it that way, he thanked me for mowing and picking up the leaves in his front yard.
Happiness is an overfull compost pile. This afternoon, I'll knock together another one for the overflow.
/johnny
Leaves are falling from the trees behind me onto my deck. Every year the deck is completely covered in layers of those leaves and it was a mess to get them up and in bags to walk them to the dumpster. With this composter I now have, the leaves will go in there which saves me a bunch of work. I'll just use the light weight rake and heap them up by the composter and dump them in there.
My wild garlic seeds are in pots. Nothing popping up yet, but an waiting.
The new compost pile panels cut, and laid out on the plastic that I tacked down.
The panels put together and compost pile ready to go. I left enough room between the two that I can easily walk around both of them.
/johnny
They have a better flavor than other taters. I think my wife made garlic smashed taters when she bought them a while back. They cost a little more, but it is not like 10x or anything like that. I downloaded a tater salad recipe this morning that I may buy some for on Wed when I go to the HEB and try that recipe.
We are getting our menus together for Christmas when we have kids and grands out from Ms. for 4 days. Checking out new recipes, starting plant cuttings, making fruitcake, etc.
Nice.
I’m with you Marcella. I’m going to look and see if Territorial has them. I like their seeds. You should see
they area where them “breed” red wigglers. WOW.
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