The Flicker Haven Farm Files-Potato Planting Party!
Po-Ta-Toes!
I love potatoes! I love planting them, I love growing them, and I for sure love to eat them! I guess it's sorta appropriate that I live in The Potato State eh?
That said, this year I seeded my potatoes about two weeks later than I usually do thanks to a persistent cold snap, and to be honest I might be secretly thankful for said cold snap, because it allowed me to get a TON of other non-garden-y things done.
However, yesterday I was in full potato-goes-in-the-earth mode. My first stop was the school room, a library-game room that we enclosed in our carport for the purpose of a classroom during the years we homeschooled our kids. It has the perfect controlled temperature to store potatoes, so I wandered in and grabbed some milk crates full of seed potatoes on my way out to the garden.
Of course, as I progressed towards the garden I got a bit distracted by some spring color. But come on, who wouldn't get distracted by these gorgeous narcissus and grape hyacinths!
Finally, I made it to potato planting land. Even though I had a philosophy podcast on, there was a certain movie line flitting about in my head, like it does every year when I plant the taters:
as well as the classic response:
Anyway, back to farming. I had two nice lines laid out for the potato trenches, I seed my potatoes at about six inches of depth. Some years I use a Pulaski to dig the trench, but here lately I have been digging my trenching shovel. It's just so useful and the perfect size to get the depth of trench I want.
Oh, and now might be time for a little seed potato planting disclaimer: When you plant potatoes you can cut them into chunks where each piece has an eye or two and plant them that way. I, however, have a TON of seed potatoes every year, so I don't even bother cutting them, I just plant the whole tuber. The plant draws on the tuber to get established as it starts growing, so the more tuber nutrients to draw off of the better. Just wanted to throw this little FYI out there for the person that yells at me every year about planting the whole potato instead of cutting them up. 😁
Disclaimer aside, after breaking into a big sweat while intermittently listening to a couple of really smart guy's opinions on how we make sense of existence, I finally got the first trench done. Faster than you could say French fry on my thigh, I got the first trench seeded, covered, and tamped down. I used an iron rake to smooth the dirt over the freshly planted taters and tamped it as I went.
Between finishing the first trench and starting the second, I walked over and filled the horse trough and the duck pool. On the homestead, there is always something to do, some chore to tend to. But I like being busy, and to be honest, I enjoyed the small breather from trench digging.
But alas, the trough and pool filled up really fast for some reason, and I was back in trenching action. Not that I was bored or annoyed, for I have a Distraction Cowboy Corgi that is ever present no matter what chore I do, and it's especially amusing to watch Cora try to bite every shovel full of dirt. Goofy creature!
The second trench didn't take all that long, and I quickly got it seeded, covered, and tamped. The thought of freshly roasted Yukon Golds or a ranch potato salad made with the Pontiac Reds brought a massive smile to my face. Homegrown potatoes taste sooo good. There's a buttery, creamy, non-bathed in sprout inhibiting chemical taste about them that I truly fancy.
That and I am a sucker for French fries or plate of freshly made gnocchi.
Is it July yet? LOL!
French fry on my thigh
I giggled.
I liked planting potatoes but I obviously do it on a smaller scale! They are nice and easy to grow here which is a bonus as everything else is hard!!
Heh, I am glad that fry thigh phrase tickled you lol!
You know, that's part of the reason I grow so many of them, they are just so easy to grow here too. The other day I watched an old Gardener's World episode and they were growing potatoes in heavy vinyl bags, you ever give that a go?
!PIZZA
That's exactly what I did the last couple of years. I doubled up the bags, filled em up and planted and it worked amazingly. The second bag became home to a colony of ants which meant that I had to leave most of them as I didn't want to destroy their nest, sap that I am. But got a good harvest from the other.
I used to have a patch that I grew them in but I have been trying to tart that up to be a bit more pretty hence why I had to switch to bags!
Tart up the patch, LOL😆
Sorry, that just killed me...
I have been doing the same thing to my flowerbeds.
And I think it's noble to be a sap to the creepy crawlies, they gotta do their thing too, although you get a trophy for letting them have an entire potato crop bag. Dang! Karma is going to return to you a pallet of potatoes-fold!
Seriously though, the bag thing looks like it works really well! I might just try it for fun, it's not like I have a shortage of seed potatoes!
Good luck with the patch prettification and the potato planting!
It is really good to do as it takes up so little space. Obviously if you do and you start hauling then up and a gigantic fountain of ants spill out you have to tuck it back in 🤣
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I love homegrown potatoes. I always gut mine in half or quarters before I planted. I am looking forward to seeing the results.
I used to cut mine up when I had to pay for seed potatoes by the pound, but since I grow my own seed now and have bunches, I just chuck them in.
Thanks for stopping by @rcaine!
Thank you for sharing this great content, You have been manually Upvoted by @skylinebuds
Thank you so much!!!
I have some blue potatoes growing in the chicken garden, and some russets growing in a 100-gallon plastic dough tub. I used to detest potatoes, but now that I know some neat ways to cook them, they've grown on me.
Also, grape hyacinths, eh? I have loads of them, never knew that's what they're called.
Oh! Your grape hyacinths are so gorgeous! I love random, naturalized bulbs that explode into color!
Speaking of, blue potatoes are awesome! I also have grown purple potatoes, both with yellow and purple flesh. I don't eat tons and tons of them because of the whole limiting starch thing, but they taste so good that I have to keep them in rotation!
And I have done potatoes in a tub too, how do you like that method of production overall?
This is the first year I've grown potatoes in the tub, so I don't yet know which method I like better. Last year, I decided that I'm going to plant anything I have to dig for (roots, tubers, bulbs) in tubs or buckets, and I'll let the chickens cultivate everything else. The tomato plants that volunteer in the chicken garden are always so much productive than anything I've grown in the greenhouse. The only reason I'm trying both with potatoes is because I don't know what kind of soil they like.
Oh my lard. When I read one of these posts I am so happy I found you on Hive. Educational and entertainment all wrapped into one. Loves it I does.
Fracking awesome 🥔 🥔 🥔 sauce 👌
!BBH
!ALIVE
@generikat! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @bradleyarrow. (17/30)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
You say the nicest things Captain Positivity, for real!
Thank you😊
!PIZZA
!CTP
😀 only because you deserve it 👏
!BBH
!ALIVE
@generikat! You Are Alive so I just staked 0.1 $ALIVE to your account on behalf of @bradleyarrow. (22/30)
The tip has been paid for by the We Are Alive Tribe through the earnings on @alive.chat, feel free to swing by our daily chat any time you want.
Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you.
. Keep up the fantastic work
Because this is such an awesome post, here is a BBH Tip for you.
. Keep up the fantastic work
It is funny. I was just wondering yesterday about how potatoes are grown and here is this great post. Thanks for sharing
I came from your List Nerds mail.
!CTP
How serendipitous! Thank you so much for stopping by😊
This has got to be the most beautiful potato I have ever seen.
Awww, I'm not even going to try to burst your bubble here, glad you enjoyed the rare yellow daffodiltater lol 🤣
wow, this is a lot of work to handle in one day.
It's like that around here almost every day from about April to October, by the time winter gets here I am so ready to hibernate lol, but its worth all the work!
Thanks for stopping by!
Lol, hang in there time does quickly.
I didn't know that it was legal to plant anything but russets in Idaho.
You are right though, fresh potatoes are better. Especially on the grill!
!CTP
LOL! I'm definitely in trouble then, because after two decades of potato cultivation, I have never ever grown them....
Grilled potatoes are AMAZING!
Thanks @beststart 😊
Potatoes Rule!! :) The wife and I are starting on our garden next weekend!
Ooh! That's awesome! Hope you both have a blast and a ton of yield!
Thank you. Can't wait! I love gardening. 🙂
Planting for the win!
Well done. Keep up the good work. I’ll give you an upvote 👊
If u r interested in permaculture, let me know.
We could share some knowledge.
I know a website where an online permaculture courses is offered 4 free!
Ooh, you are speaking my language! Permaculture is amazing! I love biodynamic systems of cultivation! And I saw in your intro post that you are an arborist, that is awesome!!
I'll definitely check your website out, and again, welcome to Hive😊
Thank youhoo!
Wait hold on, wait exactly is permaculture?
I'm definitely interesting in learning new things, and I will definitely check out our profile and website! I feel like a can learn quite a lot from an arborist!
But, as a fellow newbie to Hive, welcome, I for one am glad to have you here! :)
My pleasure to share all knowledge I can give.
Thank you for your kind words.
Welcome to Hive, too. Good to thrive with the community.
Thank you! I have definitely learned quite a bit already and I can't wait to continue learning from others in the Hive community as well! There are so many awesome people, and so many different ways of doing things that most people don't ever get a chance to experience, and it's amazing get an opportunity to learn from others around the world!
This is the first time that I have seen how potatoes are planted. Thank you for sharing, now I have the idea on how to plant them.
Cool! Thank you so much for stopping by!
You're welcome (^_^)
It looks like it's quite a bit of work to grow all the potatoes. I didn't really realize that you could just toss an entire potato there. Will the seed just branch out and grow a new potato on the seed? So when you harvest, it will be a bunch of linked potatoes.
They are a bit labor intensive, as they also need to be fed, watered, hilled, and weeded. There are other less labor intensive ways to cultivate them, like in the conversation that I had with @meesterboom above, you can even grow them in bags!
Each seed potato makes its own plant and the plant grows multiple other tubers, so when the plant dies back you can dig out the potatoes. I usually average about 5lbs of potatoes per plant (About 2 Kilos or so). They are worth the worth though, because they taste awesome!
I can't tell you how much I enjoyed this blog! You really sound like me! Getting distracted every few minutes, run from one thing to another. But in the end ... when you set your mind to the end result (in July), you get the job done in no time at all.
And I love Cora! She's adorable, and a great companion to have with you!
Awwww, Cora, who is currently resting her cute little fox-like head on my foot, looked up and thumped her tail when I said you love her😊 She is such a good little shadow!
And yes, we do seem to be a bit like in the getting tasks done department, we just take the scenic route it seems lol!
Thank you so much Hetty! I hope you are having a magnificent weekend!!!
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Thank you!!!!!
You're welcome @generikat, that's a real pleasure! Thanks for being so active here 😊👍
I had to stop potatoes due to pain issues (nightshades) but I grew them each year for my husband and son. I did Yukon Golds for many years, then my husband decided he wanted Norland Reds. Now, no potatoes...
Oh, I am sorry nightshades bug you, but it makes sense I bet due to the Lyme disease stuff that you have to hide from anything inflammatory😔
Norland reds are super yummy, I have grown them in the past, my favorites are Belle de Fontenay, but finding them can be a challenge sometimes. Hope all your plants that you can eat are doing splendidly!
So far, so good with the plants...
Here recently, my fiance and I started our own garden and have planted some taties as well! I joined the HiveGarden community because I am new to gardening, and figured this was a good place to find some tips and tricks! Unfortunately, I planted my taties before finding this awesome post! So, not really knowing what to do, I just dug a hole and threw the whole tatie (with some good eyes on them) in and covered it up lol. (Now I know this is perfectly acceptable cuz I didn't feel like cutting them up haha) We only have 3 russets going right now, but thanks to your awesome post, I'll definitely be utilizing your trenching method! :) So hopefully we will be able to grow more taties in the future, cuz we love fresh french fries or wedges and homemade mashed taties too! Also, I am in the process of starting my own garden journal, and will hopefully be able to post that soon so I'll be able to give some updates on those tatie plants, and the rest of our garden! :) Thanks @generikat for this amazingly informative and entertaining read :) and give Cora some love from our family too please! :)
Ooh! I can't wait to see your garden journal! And I am so excited for you and your wife to get some yummy fresh potatoes to eat and for you to have a fruitful garden! The cool thing about gardening is there's always more to learn (I try new stuff everyday lol!) and you will totally find your own vibe for your own microclimate and situation!
Thank you soo much for stopping by, I just gave Cora some scratches and I hope you all eat some French fries for me😊
!PIZZA
I am also from the tato squad! Did you eventually manage to make sense of existence?
Ya fellow tato squadie!
Existential meaning is still eluding my grasp, but I swear I am going to catch it! LOL!
Thanks for stopping by😊