Seriousness What's out in your garden now .... - Page 26

kennyc · 05-09-2010, 12:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

for whatever reason I have never grown potatoes before. I bought a potato growing "kit" at the Farmer's Market yesterday. it consists of a burlap bag and a bunch of seed potatoes. the vendor simply talked about heaping dirt on the potatoes and slowly unrolling the top of the bag. she indicated the dirt heaping should be sporadic. I also seem to recall that your are supposed to cut seed potatoes? in quarters? I feel so unprepared to be a potato gardner!

Yes, cut them up. The "eyes" are the seeds. Don't know what slowly unrolling the bag slowly has to do with anything. ( maybe they are going to jump out and run away )

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

kindlekitten · 05-09-2010, 12:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Gerli

This is my... hmm... "garden", is the Backyard I suppose...

With some effort, maybe we can call it "garden" in a couple years

every garden starts somewhere!

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yes, cut them up. The "eyes" are the seeds. Don't know what slowly unrolling the bag slowly has to do with anything. ( maybe they are going to jump out and run away )

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

I found a page specific to the burlap bag... you are to mound dirt over the potatoes as the foliage expands. and based on the number of potatoes and number of eyes I recall in my purchase, I have WAY more than one bag's worth! yet another use for my used feed bags!!! I'm gonna need more dirt!

oh! and not only are they to be cut into pieces that have 2 or 3 eyes each, those pieces are to dry overnight. she really didn't give very good info. good idea, bad info

WT Sharpe · 05-09-2010, 01:03 PM

Don't forget after slicing the potatoes to put them in a paper bag for a couple of days before planting to give the cuts time to "heal".

In The Egg and I, the author mentions that her husband said that each potato slice should have three eyes.

You've already done the most important thing with the purchase of seed potatoes. Store potatoes are sprayed with chemicals to retard the growth of the eyes.

FlorenceArt · 05-09-2010, 01:16 PM

One of my tomato plants is trying to jump out of the jam jar to get to the light. I need to put them on the balcony soon... just waiting for warmer weather. Nothing to do with me being too lazy to go to the gardening shop to buy pots and stakes

poohbear_nc · 05-09-2010, 01:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FlorenceArt

One of my tomato plants is trying to jump out of the jam jar to get to the light. I need to put them on the balcony soon... just waiting for warmer weather. Nothing to do with me being too lazy to go to the gardening shop to buy pots and stakes

Sounds like they've given up on you and are going to walk to the balcony themselves!!

FlorenceArt · 05-09-2010, 01:21 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kennyc

Yes, cut them up. The "eyes" are the seeds. Don't know what slowly unrolling the bag slowly has to do with anything. ( maybe they are going to jump out and run away )

http://www.thegardenhelper.com/potato.html

Yup, that's probably it.

When I was younger, a friend invited me and another friend of hers to spend a week in her parent's flat in La Baule (seaside resort). We were there in the spring, first time the apartment was occupied since last autumn. When we arrived we started visiting the apartment, and there was a scream coming from the kitchen. There were some potatoes left in a cupboard, and they had germinated. Without light, there was only a bunch of translucent branches - very like a horror movie. The girl who had opened the cupboard got the fright of her life

FlorenceArt · 05-09-2010, 01:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by poohbear_nc

Sounds like they've given up on you and are going to walk to the balcony themselves!!

Yes, and maybe they'll get there before I actually do something. We'll see

BearMountainBooks · 05-09-2010, 10:38 PM

I have quite a few tomatoes--all very green yet. The Juliets are the right size to be picked, but very, very green. Darn it all!

The onions, as I suspected, were a dismal failure. Didn't bulb--they look like pearl onions. Or that other expensive onion that is about the size of a golf ball, I forget what it's called. I ordered the starters online and...they didn't look great when they got here. I planted them and hoped for the best. Well, the best will be very small onions. I guess I'll have to go back to seeding in the fall if I can find the right onion seeds (hard to find the 1050y strain.)

I think I'll go stare at the tomatoes. Maybe they'll blush...

kindlekitten · 05-10-2010, 02:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

I have quite a few tomatoes--all very green yet. The Juliets are the right size to be picked, but very, very green. Darn it all!

The onions, as I suspected, were a dismal failure. Didn't bulb--they look like pearl onions. Or that other expensive onion that is about the size of a golf ball, I forget what it's called. I ordered the starters online and...they didn't look great when they got here. I planted them and hoped for the best. Well, the best will be very small onions. I guess I'll have to go back to seeding in the fall if I can find the right onion seeds (hard to find the 1050y strain.)

I think I'll go stare at the tomatoes. Maybe they'll blush...

so envious about the tomatoes!!!!! *deep cleansing breath* mine will get there, mine will get there...

shallots... the word you are looking for. did they get overwet?

GeoffC · 05-10-2010, 04:11 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

for whatever reason I have never grown potatoes before. I bought a potato growing "kit" at the Farmer's Market yesterday. it consists of a burlap bag and a bunch of seed potatoes. the vendor simply talked about heaping dirt on the potatoes and slowly unrolling the top of the bag. she indicated the dirt heaping should be sporadic. I also seem to recall that your are supposed to cut seed potatoes? in quarters? I feel so unprepared to be a potato gardner!

No need to cut the potatoes. Keep 3 (ish) eyes (rub out all others). place 3-5 potatoes in each bag - eyes uppermost; cover with 3-4 inches of soil/compost and water.
When the foliage starts above the soil, add more soil - and so on until you've reached the top of the bag.

kindlekitten · 05-10-2010, 09:31 AM

oops maybe? I have already done the cutting... but there are a minnimum of two eyes on each chunk. I have them drying in a paper bag

GeoffC · 05-10-2010, 11:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

oops maybe? I have already done the cutting... but there are a minnimum of two eyes on each chunk. I have them drying in a paper bag

Not to worry, the proof will be in the harvest ....

BearMountainBooks · 05-10-2010, 01:08 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by kindlekitten

so envious about the tomatoes!!!!! *deep cleansing breath* mine will get there, mine will get there...

shallots... the word you are looking for. did they get overwet?

Shallots!!! That is exactly right!

No, they didn't get overwet. Personally I think I was ripped off. The ones in the store didn't look good so I ordered them direct--and they arrived looking as poor as the ones in the store. I think they were picked too early for shipment (and get dried out and stressed.) The were wilted compared to those I've planted in the past and...the roots looked quite stunted. I'm a little worried the place might have been trying to hide signs of pink rot (but so far as I'm pulling them up, I'm not seeing any signs of it). Couple the poor plants with the fact that I should have had them in in January instead of Feb...and we have a lousy crop. It was so much colder than normal here in Jan, I wasn't finding them in the stores (and when I did they were soaked form being left in the rain).

Just not the year of the onion. Events conspired against us...

Maybe next year. But I still want to do from seed. I was *not* happy with the plants I received. I've ordered from them before and the prices have gone up and the quality gone down over the last three years.

Not to worry. I have my "shallot." Now I can make fancy, expensive sounding dishes.

WT Sharpe · 05-10-2010, 02:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Shallots!!! That is exactly right!

No, they didn't get overwet. Personally I think I was ripped off. The ones in the store didn't look good so I ordered them direct--and they arrived looking as poor as the ones in the store. I think they were picked too early for shipment (and get dried out and stressed.) The were wilted compared to those I've planted in the past and...the roots looked quite stunted. I'm a little worried the place might have been trying to hide signs of pink rot (but so far as I'm pulling them up, I'm not seeing any signs of it). Couple the poor plants with the fact that I should have had them in in January instead of Feb...and we have a lousy crop. It was so much colder than normal here in Jan, I wasn't finding them in the stores (and when I did they were soaked form being left in the rain).

Just not the year of the onion. Events conspired against us...

Maybe next year. But I still want to do from seed. I was *not* happy with the plants I received. I've ordered from them before and the prices have gone up and the quality gone down over the last three years.

Not to worry. I have my "shallot." Now I can make fancy, expensive sounding dishes.

I've never eaten shallots, but they sound delicious.

WT Sharpe · 05-10-2010, 02:36 PM

Here's the state of my garden for May 10, 2010:

I finished the anti-rabbit fence around the garden, tripped over it and had to repair it already. One of the jalapeño plants died and I replaced it this morning. Had one more spot to fill, so I added an eggplant. We are now growing potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, lima beans, banana peppers, jalapeños, cucumbers, squash, one eggplant, and corn.

Norton's taking a break in the shade. He likes playing better than farming.

05-10-2010, 02:36 PM	#390
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Here's the state of my garden for May 10, 2010: I finished the anti-rabbit fence around the garden, tripped over it and had to repair it already. One of the jalapeño plants died and I replaced it this morning. Had one more spot to fill, so I added an eggplant. We are now growing potatoes, strawberries, tomatoes, bell peppers, lima beans, banana peppers, jalapeños, cucumbers, squash, one eggplant, and corn. Norton's taking a break in the shade. He likes playing better than farming. Attached Thumbnails

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05-09-2010, 01:03 PM	#378
WT Sharpe Bah, humbug! Posts: 39,072 Karma: 157049943 Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Chesapeake, VA, USA Device: Kindle Oasis, iPad Pro, & a Samsung Galaxy S9.	Don't forget after slicing the potatoes to put them in a paper bag for a couple of days before planting to give the cuts time to "heal". In The Egg and I, the author mentions that her husband said that each potato slice should have three eyes. You've already done the most important thing with the purchase of seed potatoes. Store potatoes are sprayed with chemicals to retard the growth of the eyes.

05-09-2010, 01:16 PM	#379
FlorenceArt High Priestess Posts: 5,761 Karma: 5042529 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Montreuil sous bois, France Device: iPad Pro 9.7, iPhone 6 Plus	One of my tomato plants is trying to jump out of the jam jar to get to the light. I need to put them on the balcony soon... just waiting for warmer weather. Nothing to do with me being too lazy to go to the gardening shop to buy pots and stakes

05-09-2010, 10:38 PM	#383
BearMountainBooks Maria Schneider Posts: 3,746 Karma: 26439330 Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Near Austin, Texas Device: 3g Kindle Keyboard	I have quite a few tomatoes--all very green yet. The Juliets are the right size to be picked, but very, very green. Darn it all! The onions, as I suspected, were a dismal failure. Didn't bulb--they look like pearl onions. Or that other expensive onion that is about the size of a golf ball, I forget what it's called. I ordered the starters online and...they didn't look great when they got here. I planted them and hoped for the best. Well, the best will be very small onions. I guess I'll have to go back to seeding in the fall if I can find the right onion seeds (hard to find the 1050y strain.) I think I'll go stare at the tomatoes. Maybe they'll blush...

05-10-2010, 09:31 AM	#386
kindlekitten Professional Adventuress Posts: 13,368 Karma: 50260224 Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: The Olympic Peninsula on the OTHER Washington! (the big green clean one on the west coast!) Device: Kindle, the original! Times Two! and gifting an International Kindle	oops maybe? I have already done the cutting... but there are a minnimum of two eyes on each chunk. I have them drying in a paper bag