Mmmmm....potato's! This was my first year trying potato's. I was reassured by many people that potato's are easy, plus the red ones are out of my normal budget, so I figured I would try it.
A few lessons learned on the way---next time, I will cut the potato's into smaller pieces. You cut them into separate eyes a few days before planting so the cuts can seal off. I wasn't in the know with that one (it didn't say that on the box!), so I planted each potato whole. Grrr.....that was a waste!
Second....make sure to plan for the hilling that needs to be done two or three times. I should have spaced my rows out farther to give myself more room to hill the potato's up.
Lastly....you don't get a whopping number of potato's off the plants. (Which is WHY you should cut them up before planting to make them produce more!)
I had skinny-boy helping with the gathering. Hey, he's gotta work in the yard to earn computer time, so it was win-win. The potato's themselves are beautiful, and I am looking forward to making some roasted potato's tonight with the ones that I accidentally skewered with the pitchfork.
One thing I DIDN'T realize is that the potato plants are done fairly early in summer, meaning I now have room in my garden for new plants. I get to go out this afternoon and buy new starts! SWEET! Oh, the possibilities.....
So, for next year, I think I will grow a much larger patch of potato's, probably double or triple what I did this year, because I know I can replant the same area with other things by early July. Looking forward to it!
