Outside

Sprouting Potatoes

Two weeks after planting, tiny potato leaves have appeared in my garbage cans. Here is Carola sending up it's first shoots. I could have taken a picture of the Rose Finn Apple fingerlings in the other container, but I think one picture of the inside of a green Rubbermaid garbage can is enough for today.

Vegetable Garden Update; Potatoes Planted

On Sunday I was able to get my potatoes planted, and this year I'm experimenting with growing my potatoes in garbage cans.



On Sunday, 5/18 I planted two varieties - Rose Finn Apple, a fingerling I've grown for the past few years, and Carola, a white "keeper" that I'm trying for the first time this year. Both are from Seed Savers Exchange.

Here's what I did. I bought two 32-gallon garbage cans and drilled several 1/2" drainage holes in the bottom and up about 12" on the side. I lined the bottom and sides with leftover window screening left over from the past two years' ineffective attempt at rabbit fencing. I then layered about 8" of compost on the bottom, placed four evenly-spaced, sprouted potatoes in a circle, then topped off the whole thing with another 6" of compost. As the plants start to grow, I'll mound them up, either with compost or straw. I think I'll probably use straw for at least half of the container, as there is already about 50 pounds of compost in each can - filling them up with compost alone will make them immovable!

It's a fun experiment, and it gives me more room in the garden beds - and that's always in short supply!

Otherwise, the weather has been very cool all month. The spring flowers are blooming about 2 weeks late this year. I have tomatoes, peppers, ground cherries and basil growing under lights, but I don't think I'll even bother planting any of them out until May 31st or June 1st. This should be perfect weather for the cool season crops, though. The snap peas and greens are growing well - I can't wait for my first harvest.