Potato Lore

what came home
Originally uploaded by kingstongal

Growing potatoes in tires is something I've heard about doing, but have never tried. I've heard that you start with one tire--plant the spuds in nice soft soil in the center. The sun heats up the tire and the plants grow well. When the spuds come up, place another tire on top and add more soil. The potato plant has to grow up through the soil and all along the stems potatoes, producing a tremendous crop. I've also heard you can grow a mess of fingerling potatoes in a 5 gallon bucket. I'd be interested to hear if anyone has done either of these two potato growing things.

When I lived in Yakima I experimented with growing potatoes under straw. They didn't do much--although I got the theory. And I tried digging trenches and putting the spuds in and covering them with a mounded dirt. They didn't grow much differently than the usual method: spread the spuds across the area you want to plant, remember to have at least one eye per plant, and mound the dirt over each tuber. There should be a foot between each plant. Then just keep weeding and mounding the soil over the spuds as they grow.

It's important it is to rotate your crops, because they'll get stuff if you don't, like potato beetles. It's no fun having potato beetles, believe you me. You can pick them off, but they are nasty and who wants to deal with that. You can throw them to the chickens, if you have chickens. If not put them in a sack and throw them away.

Okay, more potato lore forthcoming.

Flower Power

Potatoes

So Many Potatoes
Originally uploaded by Alexander Yates

Well, it's almost time to plant the potatoes. Every spring I've gone out and cut the potatoes sprouting in my cupboard and set them a foot apart on the newly warming soil. I was 19 when I first asked a woman who'd grown up on a farm, how do you grow potatoes. She said, cut the spud in pieces. Make sure there are one or two eyes per piece. Plant them and watch them grow. And be sure to continue to mound the dirt around the plants, as the ones exposed to the light will turn green. That green stuff is toxic you know, as is the plant itself. But the spud, oh my, so delicious. And when the plant gets it's pretty flowers, either white or purple, you can reach into the soil and feel around at the base of the plant for a sizable new potato. I like to cook these with the new peas that are on--so springy and wonderful.

If you want to follow tradition, plant your potatoes on Good Friday. It's a blessing.

Sweet Flower