Weekly Update

Well, we did in fact eat those potatoes and they did, in fact, taste very good!! I used a few in mashed potatoes one night, and criss-cross potatoes another night and they were just dandy! :)

I have to admit, I am very pleased with myself on this potato project. I assumed that I would accomplish utter failure, but instead, success!

My main issues on this year's potato growing are my lack of information when I started. I have since read much more on the whats and whys of potatoes. The hilling process and alternative methods. I decided that in Missouri, I don't like the mulch method, because it really didn't lead to more tuber development at all. It harbored slugs as well. It wasn't really enough to support the plants either. So next year, mulch will simply stay mulch and not an alternative to soil.

The quality of the potatoes surprised me. as I scrubbed them down and sliced them in half lengthwise I was taken aback by the utter lack of blemishes. Most garden veggies have SOME blemishes.....but my little taters had none. No scabs, no holes, no black hollows.....just pure white flesh.This is surprising from all that I have read of them, these plants prefer a slightly acid soil, to reduce scabbing and other diseases. I know for a fact that the majority of my garden is right at neutral, and the only sulfuring I did was dusting the cut pieces of seed potato! Maybe next year I may not be so lucky, so I will try to acidify the new plot to some extent, just in case this has all been a wonderful case of beginner's luck!

But, the few spuds that I saved for bakers were of medium size, not tiny but not especially huge. And it was just one of those moments in a budding gardener's life, where you are just plain proud. Good Job! I say, and pat myself on the back! Not too shabby! I am tempted to steal more new potatoes but I still have 5 or 6 lbs. of store bought russets in the pantry and really no need for mine.....I just really, really enjoy digging them up! And I am just happy about the results this time!

Next year, flea beetle control is going to have to be on the top of my list. I have not even attempted control outside of hosing them off, and I guess I figured that they weren't bothering the tubers, so it's no big deal.....BIG MISTAKE!!! They will multiply and travel. I have seen them on the hops, the peppers and tomatoes, and I definitely don't want them chewing my ripe fruits!!! I am thinking hot pepper spray....I will have to check into that soon.

OK, well, I have pictures on the way.....the melons are very tall now, and the tomatoes will be ripening in a week or two (I hope!) So I will update shortly on those photos. The blueberries are about ready to be un-potted and rooting, and the apples will need yet another spray to keep the CAR at bay! Wish me luck....and all the best to all of you!

How to Put in a Raised Bed for Blueberries

Today I started, and have almost finished putting together a raised bed for the blueberries we purchased months ago. They have been residing all this time in a thick bed of chopped and moistened oak leaves to keep them from drying out in their measly 1 gallon pots. I had removed each bush from their pots and loosened and moistened the potting mix, then amended it with my own mix of peat moss and fertilizer. I was hoping to counteract any raising PH level that might occur from water leaching since they were at the nursery. (I use the term Nursery VERY loosely, they were purchased in the garden center at Lowe's.....could be worse I suppose, I could have bought them at Wally-World!)

I have also sprayed them with a foliar spray of Iron. I noticed that the new growth is pale yellow-green. And I wanted to ensure that they did not have nutrient deficiencies. So I have been trying to make due, and keep them going "as is".

Today I mowed over my pile of oak leaves, bagged it up and moved it away to the compost heap (starting a new pile). Then I had to bust out the tiller. I left a layer a few inches deep of the chopped leaves and "duff" layer under the leaf bin and tilled it up. I then added my opened bag of peat moss, dusted the entire surface with sulfur and dumped a bag of soil acidifier in there. I then raked it all up to mix it in, and tilled it again. I added a full bag of peat and tilled some more. I wanted to be sure to thoroughly mix the soil with the peat and left over leaf mold.....and make sure that the amendments were thoroughly incorporated. I dug a few holes and popped the blueberries in the homes. I haven't removed their buckets yet, but only because I am letting the soil and amendments mellow and I may add compost, or other things before planting. I am trying to be patient, but I would like the job to be done! I busted my hump on this bed today. I probably put in 5 or 6 hours so far.

Garden Picture update

Melons

apple

Hops

Asparagus

It grows a little every day!!!

It really seems like the broccoli grows everyday. It just keeps getting more and more Huge!

The tomato plants seem very healthy, all except one plant, that is curling it's leaves all the time, whether there is moisture or not. I am thinking about pulling it out, but I only have 8 plants and that will leave me with 7. It has a few fruits on it,but they seem to have stopped growing, they have been there a week and still are the same size. I have to admit, this plant has looked funny from the beginning. I am going to keep an eye on it a while longer, and then I may decide to pull it. We'll see.

Last night we pulled a tiny potato plant that had turned mostly brown. I think Mick was disappointed in the low volume of harvest, and the toughness of the potato. we pulled 4 decently sized spuds from one rather small plant. It gave me dreams about digging out huge potatoes and harvesting ripe tomato, but unfortunately that was just a dream!

I Know that I am supposed to allow the spuds to cure and let the skins harden for storage. I have my store bought bag of spuds on another shelf, and the home grown ones are lying on a paper towel. I have already tasted one spud from a previous plant I pulled out. It was about the size of the bottom tater above.......but I fried it and that really prevented me from tasting it's actual flavor. With these I would like to maybe just bake them, so we get the full flavor.

I am still wondering (very much) if I have made some critical mistake with fertilization if all my veggies (minus tomato) taste a bit off. Then again, I planted store-bought sprouted spuds, and that is a BIG NO-NO!

I will update, once I have tasted these little guys. I am promising myself I won't dig any more out until they are completely died back ...... and adding that soil late in the season, did nothing. Too little, too late! And I really don't quite get the whole mulch thing, spuds did not continue to grow all the way up the plant and they were always covered with straw, (if not the soil I added later). It helped to harbor slugs, and I had a hell of a time with flea beetles......hmmmmmm!!??!!

So, If I don't end up with a lot of food, I will know why.....but if I didn't have "food for thought" we would know that something went VERY, VERY wrong!

Until Next time! :)

Bed #2 last day of June

This is my third try posting this via mobile email (ach!) its really growing alot. More soon, if this works!
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