We Have Potatoes!

We Have Potatoes!

I took some time off from talking about my backyard to just enjoying it. (I hope some of you missed me.) The heat has been oppressive so we have been watering a lot and trying to remember to drink more water ourselves.

Even so, the small vegetable garden we planted was showing signs of distress despite our watering. (Here is where we really show our city roots.) The potatoes, which had sent out such beautiful stems and leaves seemed to have given up. The leaves wilted and the ground looked forlorn. So we decided to dig up the plants, replenish the dirt, and plant something else. We were happily surprised to discover potatoes were under there after all! Not a whole lot and some were not very large but they existed. This was from a couple of potatoes that had sprouted and graced my kitchen windowsill for some time this spring. They were so vibrant that they just called out to be planted.

Everything is a learning experience. We learned that these were our seed potatoes, the potatoes from which the others would sprout. And we found out that it was time to harvest when the stems died back. We did the right things but from intuition rather than knowledge. We’ll know better for next year. Lucky for us, we planted some more seed potatoes (in different spots of our yard) for the sheer joy of them growing. They seem to be flourishing. Can you see me grinning?

This is a great site for the basics:

http://urbanext.illinois.edu/veggies/potato.cfm

Potatoes Ready for Planting

Potatoes Ready for Planting

I am a sucker for plants that start growing on their own. Last spring it was a sweet potato, this season it is a white potato, three actually. They started sprouting in my pantry. They were forgotten in the dark and by the time I noticed them they had more than eyes. I put them in some water and they grew shoots and some roots. I transferred them to soil in a flowerpot and waited to see if they would continue to grow. They did. Green leaves unfurled. The stems began reaching for the sun. I turned the pot and the stems shifted direction. It seemed that they couldn’t wait to get outside so when the weather warmed without the threat of frost, we planted them in our side yard. They are continuing to stretch out and grow.

The other day our neighbor’s daughter asked if she can have some of our tomatoes again this year and have we planted them yet because she can hardly wait. She said they were better than any tomatoes she had ever eaten. I think her enthusiasm is partly because she saw them growing. But she was right about the taste – those tomatoes were great. I am hoping that the potatoes will be as satisfying; we’ll be happy to share.

I, obviously, am not a serious farmer but I can understand the passion of those who are. Growing food creates a relationship that nurtures both sides. I feed the potatoes so they will grow healthy and hearty and they return the favor when they develop to their potential. The process is a wonder to me. Grow, potatoes. Thrive in the garden. You will be appreciated when harvest time arrives.

I love this! There’s more than one way to plant a potato:

http://www.organicgardening.com/learn-and-grow/7-ways-plant-potatoes