I don't think I've ever had such an exciting time digging in the garden in my entire life.
I was so skeptical about the potatoes that I planted back in August (the 8th to be precise), I know that technically someone somewhere does actually grow potatoes, but I just doubted that that someone could ever be me.
The plants did shoot up pretty quickly, but then they flowered, something which I don't think they always do... and I was thinking, right, they are putting their energy into flowering, there won't be any potatoes from this lot.
And then something today made me go into the bed and have a little dig around.
I've got no idea what prompted me, I certainly wasn't actively looking for potatoes, but I guess I must have wanted to see if there was anything happening at all under the soil.
I almost couldn't believe it when I discovered the first one. I was scratching away with a spoon, and all of a sudden, there one was, just sitting there. It was as though someone had just dug a hole the night before and popped a tatie in there! It looked exactly like a potato should look. That made me really suspicious.
I started thinking that maybe it was one that I had planted in August, I had no idea what happens to the old ones when you plant them out. I gave this one above a little press sideways with my thumb, and away came the skin, that's when I started believing I had grown a potato, the skin just rubbed away super easily. That smacked of fresh potato to me.
If I had any further doubts they were swept away by this little growing one, I certainly didn't plant that.
I couldn't help myself, I kept on digging and scraping, each new potato just put the biggest smile on my face, I certainly got the gardening high with these babies. I only found these five, but there are other little forming ones in there, and I didn't do the mounding thing properly with the plants, so that would have cut back on the harvest.
Of course I am now rushing out to the markets the next chance I get to buy as many exotic varieties as I can.
Because as of today, I am a Certified Potato Grower.
6 comments:
Well done Ali! :-)
Nothing like a little serendipity in the garden ;-) Why did you dig ... well my guess is the Potatoes were waving at you to come and release them from their earthen prison. Who knows? Grab the opportunity, which you did and were richly rewarded.
Thanks Elaine :)
I like the idea of the potatoes calling to me... "aaaaaaaaaaalison... eeeeeeat us".
I don't know if you remember, but these are the ones that flowered and we were unsure if they would produce. And I had all that other stuff growing around them too, so I couldn't mound. I'm sure there would have been a lot more if I'd done things properly, I'm learning!
Next year I will dedicate an entire bed to the potatoes and I will mound like a champion.
Home grown potatoes...like all home grown veggies just taste so much better.
Hazel, they were the creamiest, tastiest little tubers I have ever eaten. Bit of butter, salt, pepper and parsley, and Bob was indeed my uncle.
I am so proud of those potatoes :)
My kids LOVE digging for potatoes. Who's going to find the biggest? I have to stop them from digging the whole bed up in one go 'cause then lazy old me has to store them somewhere. Just enough for dinner kids.
Oh yes, I understand their instincts to just keep on digging! It truly is one of the more exciting things to do in the garden.
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