Planting Potatoes

Well we have finally gotten some rain over the last few days to ease the dry conditions.  It definitely has given the garden a boost.  The rain always perks-up the garden more than hand watering does.

This week I have been planting potatoes.  Potatoes are fairly easy to plant, and they usually yield very well given an adequate amount of rain during the summer.  However, there a few key steps involved in order to have a successful crop.

First, cut the seed potatoes so that there 3 to 4 "eyes" or sprouts per piece.  If a potato piece only has one or 2 eyes, you can use 2 potato pieces for a hill.  

Next, prepare the trenches.  Using a hoe or shovel, make a trench about 6 inches deep.  Potatoes need to be planted fairly deep to allow dirt to cover the new potatoes as they grow.  However, until they sprout, only cover the seed potatoes with about 2 or 3 inches of soil.  This will allow for faster sprouting.  Once the plants are about 6 to 8 inches high, then the potatoes will need to be hilled.  This process is simply mounding up dirt around the plants to provide adequate soil for the potatoes to grow.  If any potatoes are exposed,  they will turn green.

Rose Finn Apple Seed Potatoes

Yukon Gold Seed Potatoes

Rose Finn Apple Fingerling Potatoes

Yukon Gold Potatoes

Covering Potatoes (Only Half-Fill trenches)

The varieties I have planted so far this year are as follows:

Yukon Gold

Yukon Gold potatoes have finely flaked yellowish-white skin with light yellow flesh. They're bright and slightly sweet, with a smooth, slightly waxy texture and moist flesh. They're best for boiling, baking and making French fries. They'll also stand up well to grilling, pan frying and roasting.

Rose Finn Apple Fingerling

This is a classic rose-skinned European fingerling.  Slender, moist, with firm yellow flesh. It is great for purees, soups, sauces and gravies. When roasted, eat like finger food.

Burbank Russett

The russet Burbank potato is a large potato cultivar with dark brown skin and few eyes. Its flesh is white, dry, and mealy, and it is good for baking, mashing, and french fries. It is a common and popular potato


Thanks again for reading my blog.  Next week I will  begin planting tomatoes, peppers, beans, sunflowers, and more.  Stay tuned.

Simply Photos - Garden Progress

Welcome back, I hope you are finding time to get your garden started.

The weather over the last 4 or 5 days was very summer like, with highs in the 80s.  It's also been dry. Since first starting my garden on April 26th, it didn't rain until yesterday, and we only got one tenth of an inch.  Barely enough to wet the soil.  With the rain also came a cold front, and tonight there's a frost advisory.  I've been taking advantage of the weather to get the early season vegetables started. Since it has been dry, I've been watering more than usual for this early in the season.

Instead of going into details, this week I will just post some photos to show the garden progress.  This will allow me to show most everything I've planted to date.  Of course, if you ever have questions, you can leave then in the comments and I will gladly answer.


Stuttgart Onions/Shallots:

Yellow Stuttgart Onions

Planting Onion Sets - One to Two Inches Deep

Shallots - Mild Flavor - Plant 3 to 4 Inches Deep

Radish Beauty Blend, Fordhook/Bright Lights Swiss Chard, Spicy Salad Lettuce Mixture, Dwarf Blue Scotch Curled Kale: 

Plant Greens One Quarter Inch Deep

Using A Seed Dispenser for Fine Seed 

Radishes, Swiss Chard, Kale, Lettuce Mixtures Progressing Nicely

Italian Kale, Romaine Lettuce (Started Using Winter Sowing Technique)

Italian Kale Grown Using Winter Sowing

Romaine Lettuce Grown Using Winter Sowing

Kale & Romaine Plants Protected Using Wood Shingles

Sweet Spanish Onions:

Sweet Spanish Onions (Started From Seed)

Sweet Spanish Onion Plants (Plant One Inch Deep)

Oregon Sugar Pod II Peas/American Lisbon White Bunching Onions:

Oregon Sugar Pod II Peas/Scallions (Started From Seed)

American Flag Leeks:

American Flag Leeks (Started from Seed)

American Flag Leeks (Plant One Inch Deep)

Thanks again for reading.  Refer to my prior posts for information regarding any of the varieties/techniques involved with the vegetables shown in the photos above.

Transplanting Heirloom Tomatoes/Planting Peas

Once again welcome back to my blog.

Well once again it's time for the garden to come to life.  The snow has melted off the garden and over the last few weeks it has dried out somewhat.  Last Sunday (April 26th) I broke out the rorotiller and started the 2015 growing season.   It's hard to believe that only 3 short weeks before this date the garden and much of the lawn was still covered n snow.

Portions of the garden were still too wet but probably 50% was dry enough to till.  I wanted to get the peas planted since they do better in cooler weather.  The general rule of thumb for planting peas is that as soon as the ground thaws and can be worked, they can be planted.

In late April and early to mid May, it is only advisable to plant cold tolerant vegetables such as peas, onions, radishes, Swiss chard, lettuce, kale, etc.

The first step, of course, is to work the ground.  Last fall I placed a layer of chopped leaves on the garden which can be seen in this photo,  Over the winter, they began to decay and now they can be worked into the soil.  Leaves are one of the best materials that can be used to amend the soil.  They turn into beautiful compost providing nutrients and helping the soil retain moisture.  Composted manure works well also or home made compost from vegetable scraps, etc.  You can also sprinkle a little 5-10-5 fertilizer before tilling.

After tilling the ground, I placed the pea fence in the garden.  The fence I use is about 30 inches high which is perfect for the variety of peas I planted, which reach just that height.  This fence is sold in most seed catalogs, It usually comes in 6 or 8 foot sections and presses into the ground for easy installation.  It also is available in greater heights for taller peas and other vegetables.  In addition these fences can also be used for cucumbers and squash.
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Oregon Sugar Pod II Peas

Planting Peas

I chose a snap (snow) pea, Oregon Sugar Pod II.  This an award winning pea that produces abundant amounts of pods on compact vines.  

Peas are easy to plant, the seeds are spaced about 4 inches part, then pressed into the soil to a depth of about one inch.  An alternate method is to make a trench one inch deep.  I prefer the first method, but it's up to the gardener to decide.

Moving on to tomatoes, I also recently transplanted my heirloom tomato plants into peat pots, bringing them one step closer to the garden.  By doing this, it gives the pants more room to develop root systems and helps them to grow stronger in preparation for outdoor growing.

I generally use a 3 inch peat pot and a good quality potting soil.  Choosing one with plant food included also helps as it eliminates the need to fertilize them over the next month.  Using garden soil is not recommended as it may cause plant diseases as it contains fungus, mold, etc.  The sterile potting soil ensures a healthy start for your plants.

Even though the tomatoes were small a week ago or so when transplanted, they have already grown significantly in the greenhouse.   There is still plenty of time for them to grow, since Memorial Day is considered a safe planting date here in central New York state.  With the summer like weather we are having this week, they have already almost doubled in size as can be seen below.

In my next post I will talk about planting onions and shallots.

Thanks for reading, and happy gardening.