…With a bulb planter
While I like to pretend to know what I’m talking about, in this case, you must take my preachings with a grain of salt.
Or maybe even less.
As I’ve said before, I tend to cut corners on tasks that I don’t care for.
And one of those tasks is planting potatoes.
Truth be told, now that I’m writing about the third consecutive task that I don’t care for in the garden, I am starting to wonder if I really like gardening at all? Could it be possible that I’m only out there to escape questions like “Mom? Mom?… Mom?… ” To which I yell, WHAT? Only to hear: “Where is Morgan?”
How the Hell would I know where Morgan is?
Yes, the garden beckons…
I love the garden…
And when people say “But it’s so much work. Where do you find the time?”
I just laugh.
[But I still hate planting potatoes.]So this is the epiphany I had a couple years ago.
Use a bulb planter! Seems to work great. Why dig a whole row when you only need to get the one spud down deep?
Oh, and also? Buy enough potatoes so that you don’t have to cut them up. It’s a pain. And I’ve heard that cut potatoes are more susceptible to rot. So why bother? Seed potatoes (from the grocery store) cost practically nothing. Just buy enough whole ones and pick out the smallest ones you can find.
Soooooo. Much. Easier.
Have I written about my red potatoes? The ones I planted from last year? Good grief. I can’t remember… OK, I just checked. And I didn’t. I think I’m losing it….
Anyway, remember the crazy red potatoes I joked about using for Meatless Monday Eight? No, I didn’t actually cook them, but I did plant them! In Mid-March, no less, due to our ridiculously early Spring here in Minnesota.
Never before have I been able to keep potatoes full circle–from planting to storage to planting again– so I am very excited. I’m a bit worried about how soft they were and how long the sprouts were, but I figure if they don’t produce, I will still have time to replace them.
And, once again, I will be able to proclaim that I made something out of garbage from the garden! You see, I rescued these withered beauties from the compost bucket, where Dave unceremoniously dumped them a few weeks ago.
I will keep you updated on their progress.
Provided I remember to do so…
Nell Jean says
Your red potatoes are only withered because growing sprouts takes the moisture out of them. Once in the ground, things will go the way potatoes grow. I look forward to the day you report on scratching a few new potatoes out of the ground to cook, while the others grow larger.
admin says
Yessss! I just KNEW someone who had real garden knowledge would chime in! Thanks! And (drumroll please) The green leaves have just emerged today! So excited! I’m sure just about everyone but me can keep potatoes from one garden year to the next — I seem to be able to do so with garlic — but not me. This is a first. And another notch on my invincible belt.
Nat Alea from OK says
I love the red potatoes. They look like something out of a Tim Burton film!
Kristen says
We planted potatoes for the first time this year. Well, not the first… the first time we attempted they rotted. 🙁 I like the idea of using a bulb planter. Told my hubby and we are going to put more out. Thanks for the tip