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Sunday, September 23, 2012

Sleet and Potatoes

Enjoying more harvest ...
 
It's cold and blustery outside today  here in N.W. Ontario; the wind is up, sleet, rain, and chilly by any standard for September 22nd.
"Yes, dear,   I am,"  I say, being fearless,   " I am going out to dig potatoes" -- choosing the worst possible weather in the process of course,  as we mutually observe.




" I know what,"  suggests the smarter half, who is coincidentally and  smartly canning tomato sauce --and even more smartly,  canning spaghetti sauce and creating other wonderful tomato products in the nice warm house instead of being outside in the sleet, --- "perhaps you could wait for a warmer, more sunny day.An astute observation it is.
  Yes, the sky is black and ominous. Sleet.  Memories haunt the mind. 
Maybe I'm just getting edgy here, like I do every year.  Change of seasons and all that. "Lack of winter preparedness" syndrome.    Little wonder.  A few years ago we received two feet of wet snow October 1st. With  new whacko-weather smacking everyone,  why can't it snow on September 22nd too? 
Surprise. It can, and it does.  See above,-- sleet, ominous black sky and all.
I procrastinate, warily keeping one eye on the sky. The clock is ticking. 
 

She doesn't object strongly enough, so to save face  keep my promise,  I reluctantly shut down the computer and bravely get right out there wearing  a worn out hunting jacket  sophisticated high-society  potato-digging outerwear and mitts  insulated leather gloves, the heavy ones.  And a toque. The weird Canadian hat with built-in hat-head,  that's the one.   The wind is blowing.  Welcome to Canada.  I pull the collar up, pull the toque down over the ears. It is cold.  I survey the spud-patch.
 Four rows. Four long rows. 

Potato plants are funny things,  they turn partly brown when they freeze, but they don't really get serious about getting all brown or falling over until it's  wet, cold  and sleeting. Like today.  Why is that? You'll see.
It's an annual gardening conundrum, you can pull potato plants while the sun is shining and warm. Filch a few baby potatoes.  Shirt-sleeve warm. Nice potato digging weather. The plants are still strong and green, give'em a yank, and up come potatoes.
 "Look at that, is that a potato?"  *truth be known, it's...the size of a marble.  The small kind. Mini-micros.
"eh"...*sigh   How can that be??
 "They're not finished growing" would be the right answer. Not ripe.  That's why knowledgeable gardeners wait impatiently.  The juice in the leaves and the fat green parts of the plant are food energy, supposedly to be stored in the potatoes readying them to become  healthy, vigorous 'seed' for next year.   Surprise, in between times we interrupt Momma Nature's cycle. We dig'em up and bake'em, boil'em, mash'em, broil'em.... Pity the poor volunteered potato. We digress. 

No matter..we lurked  about, all summer, watching potatoes grow, ....until today.   Now it's cold and wet.  It's  late. Isn't that just the way life is?

 Now the potato plants are down and brown and soggy from the sleet and rain.
Potatoes brown and heading down in bone-dry soil

Everybody knows they break off. The ground is hard as rock, having been so dry--until last night, that is.  It rained and softened the top inch  a bit. It's not mud  yet, but soon would be if it  sleets, and rains a lot more.  The potato stems are soggy, but  topsoil is barely damp even while it's raining. Underneath it's still dry as a bone and yes, hard as a rock. Explain that one.

The Big Dig
With sleet and rain and cold inspiring the gardener, do the potatoes come out just pulling the plant?  Of course not!  The soggy stems  break off instead.  Loyal gardening readers could have won a hot baked potato or an onion betting on that one.     Now I have to dig for them.  Tool selection.   Fork? Shovel? Pick axe?   No matter which tool, some potatoes invariably get poked, stuck, chipped, bonked,  or sliced in neat pieces, almost ready for lunch.  

We have three different potatoes; Kennebec, an early white potato, Gold Rush, a white potato,   and Pimpernel, an heritage red-skinned, white-fleshed  late-season potato.


Pimpernel:  a red-skinned heritage potato

 Note the potatoes are even deformed because the ground is so dry and hard!

A sample of New Potatoes:   "Gold Rush"
Dig, dig....Is that a potato? Nope, it's a rock.  Keep at it.  Garden forks work better in hard ground, even digging for rocks.

Dig dig... Aha!....We do find a real potato. One potato.


a new  "Kennebec" potato--a BIG one.
  
I jest.  Actually I dug up a lot of potatoes.  Just like these.   Some real biggies too, I must admit...I wonder if the cookware back in the kitchen is big enough.   
The rows are still long.  I lean on the fork. Saved by Momma Nature again. The sun is starting to come out....coffee time.
 

Is that Incoming I hear?







31 comments:

  1. This comment has been removed by the author.

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  2. The Kennebec is a thing of beauty. I am really envious! I wonder if I 'll find some seeds in France? Because we have hardly any soil, this year we experimented by growing "da spuds" in straw ...absolute disaster! Mind you we had a draught too. But basically a few marbles was all we got...and we waited til they were brown!
    LOVE your blog Raymond...as always!

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    1. Hi Michele, great to see you! Yes, the Kennebec is a beautiful potato, relatively early too. I do not know if you will find seed for Kennebec in France--it is usually available in the N.American seed catalogs.
      \
      If you have very little soil, check out the "heap" technology I have been experimenting with (on the blog here too)

      It is a prolific method of growing food, put what little soil is available on top of old hay, straw, leaves, organic matter, and it will decompose down slowly, making more soil. Incorporate an old, manure pile into that heap if possible. After a couple of seasons, you'll have great growth potential.
      Are you on mostly limestone bedrock? It may help to make your soil a bit more acidic by adding forest duff -- pine tree needles-- too.
      Moisture is a difficult thing--straw by itself won't hold enough moisture. In the past, farmers ploughed trenches, placed potato seeds right on the soil surface in the bottom and filled them with straw, getting very successful potato crops--but if it's very dry, you will have to water, you can minimize the amount of water by adding some rotten old hay and at least SOME soil to help hold the moisture-and when the potato plants emerge, keep adding MORE mulch around them as they get taller.
      Also, particularly if you use small, intact potatoes for seed, make sure you cut or 'score' them. They grow more vigorously when you threaten them. ":) Have a great day! ~R

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  3. RK.....
    Your garden and your gardening skills have certainly inspired me this summer to keep at it! I turned out a pretty good harvest. I didn't time the green tomatoes well thinking another few days would help them ripen and then the cold came and I could see they were hit by it... All the ripe ones split big time for some reason. All summer they were fine, but recently they all split open. Too bad...Garlic time now...Gotta get some in quick..I thank you for your inspiration :) Blessings....VK

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  4. Glad to see the neighbours are doing well! Hope the weather holds til you get all your spuds out!

    Pam

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    1. Hi Pam! Good to see you here...and yes, we're doing just fine, the gardens did well, and it seems the weather is holding although we've had some spatters of sleet already! How are YOU doing? ~R

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  5. Love them Pimpernels (I'm digging mine tomorrow - expect my report...) - and that Kennebec is a wondrous thing!
    ~Wendy

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    1. Hi Wendy! We dug a handful of Pimpernels today, they are a good size already, but the main plant stems of the late potato plants are still green--will make the potatoes much bigger if you can delay for another week or so. I'm going to wait a couple more days to dig the main crop. I'll be waiting to hear your report! ":) ~R

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  6. I wish I had home-grown potatoes! Feel free to ship me a few :)

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    1. Awe, Christyb, I would be happy to share some with you! It's too bad it's so far! ":)) "Christyb smiles at the thought of home-grown potatoes".... ~R

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  7. Ain't nothin' like a sleet pertater

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    1. Mac, Sleet pertaters are the best, they're so cold they hop into the oven by themselves to warm up! ":) ~R

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  8. Haven't dug the Pimpernels yet because I discovered a lot of the foliage is still alive. So my report will be delayed. Drat - now I'm hungry for sleet pertaters.

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    1. Wendy, we dug a few,nice potatoes--but are waiting for the main crop too, the potato stems are still green underneath. It will make the potatoes quite a lot bigger, I'm guessing! Don't forget to post some pics! ":) ~r

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  9. And thanks to Raymond, I now know why so many of the potatoes in the stores this year are deformed. I think I even recognize a few from the pictures.

    MJ

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    1. Mike, thanks! The soil under the potato hills is as hard as bricks--it is little wonder the potatoes are deformed. They still taste super though! ":) ~R

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  10. This is an interesting take on the humble potato, and some of those larger one's that you unearthed are perfect examples of your patience and commitment to potato waiting, just keeping your fork, spade and dynamite at the ready for the right moment...

    Have a great evening Raymond :)

    Androgoth

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    1. hi Androgoth, that is too funny! Sometimes I think I need a backhoe with superior down-pressure to dig anything. We have a hardpan soil about a foot down that makes set concrete look like mush. Patience and a good gold-miner's pick DO work. ":) Thanks for dropping in, Andro! ~R

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    2. I like your postings and I will be calling by again, indeed your style adds depth to your Space and I always admire the uniqueness of same.

      I have sometimes thought of interacting with you on Red's M3 but sometimes readers of a Space do not like to interact and so I often choose not to do so as I would never wish to offend anyone, especially on Red's Space as she has such a wonderful reader base and although red encourages interaction on the Writers Spotlight postings I am not sure if a thread would take shape on another part of her Space, though it would be interesting and add to the quality there I think? :)

      Okay I am waffling a little now so have a very nice rest of evening Raymond and I will definitely be reading more of your postings in the days and months ahead.

      Androgoth

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    3. Thanks for the great compliments, Androgoth! Do feel free to interact on M3 too, that's what forums are about. I'd bet Red doesn't mind interaction between readers as long as it's civilized and constructive. Have a great evening! ":) ~R

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  11. Encantei-me com este blog!
    Sou também camponesa, sou viticultora e também sofremos com granizos aqui no Brasil...
    Trabalhamos com uvas Italia, Benitaka e Rubi. Conheces?
    Terei um imenso prazer se me visitar.
    Um forte abraço.
    Ivany

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  12. Buenos dias, Van-Ivany Fulini Sversuti, WELCOME to Incoming Bytes! I am happy to see you here! As I understand you grow grapes, and have the Italia, Benitaka and Rubi? Those are wonderful!
    We are limited to grapes that can tolerate a lot of frost, so we have the Concord varieties and some others that are frost-tolerant. The Concord varieties do well here.
    What else do you grow? I am glad you visited,and enjoyed this blog.... and please do come again.
    NOTE: *on the top, left column, you will see a "translate" button, you can choose any language you wish to read this.

    Have a wonderful day, and thank you for dropping in. DO join Incoming Bytes at the top, the blue button! Hope to see you soon! ":) ~R

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  13. That big one could be roasted on its own spit!

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    1. And Mac, a fork lift to move it to the Thanksgiving feast ":)

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  14. Yes all our potatoes now dug up and bagged, the sweetcorn we had a great harvest, now need to be put onto the compost heap, and we are awaiting a load of manure to dig in.. Hubby and I are going to sit down and do a plan of where we are planting what this year.. the Strawberry bed is coming up after we pot on some new runners from them, and they are being moved... The Carrot experiment in the raised bed worked and we are harvesting great carrots clean and free from carrot fly. so thats going to be doubled next yr.. and we may try more veggies in raised beds.
    The Leeks too are scummy and have been in several stews and also as side dishes cooked in butter..
    Im planting the Garlic this week now we've had a frost... Thank you for your most excellent post... you have some Great potatoes ...
    Sue

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    1. It's wonderful to hear that your garden did well too, Sue! What did you do with your carrots? We have to raise the garden beds more too, raising the beds seems to work beautifully, and of course we mulch the beds very heavily, even over the winter. We have never grown leeks, never had any luck with them at all. Were your potatoes large and free of scab? We had some deformed, the ground was so dry--and that was with irrigation. We live and learn apparently.. ":) We'll do even better next year....haha... Blessings to you, Sue ~R

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    2. our Red potatoes last year scabbed Raymond, but we grew whites this year and dont ask me which one because I forgot, but they were ok, Remember we had lots of rain here over the summer, our soil is quite sandy too... so it must have suited it.. they were around the size of your Red one you are holding...The early crop too gave us lovely new potatoes.. The carrots are still in their raised bed we pull up as we need them at the moment and as Ive been in charge of the Leeks Ive been very proud of their size and taste... :-)

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    3. Sue, for the most part our white potatoes were scab-free, but the reds did show some scab--but only in certain locations, which was interesting. The red we planted is Pimpernel, a heritage potato, very hard,and an excellent storage potato. Our carrots did not do well this year at all; we assume it was too dry. Leeks are something I have to try again-there must be some magic secret to them. Onions we have no problem with, but I have been told that planting onion seed in flats, allowing it to sprout and pruning them off --a couple of times--and transplanting the little plants in the spring will produce far larger Spanish onions. We're going to try that next season. Don't you love it when something grows very well? Be proud of your leeks. Why not? That's one of the benefits of gardening, the satisfaction. ":) ~R

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  15. You do know how to have fun, don't you?

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    1. You know what they say, Angela, "life is what you make it" and you may as well make it fun...":)) ~R

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