This phase of my farming endeavors has been a real success, despite the drought. The Irish potato has been the biggest win so far. I got thirteen potatoes from the one I planted. I reaped them about fourteen weeks in because the leaves had started to wither and I wasn’t sure if it meant they needed better care or if it was time to reap. Farmer Google had said about 18 weeks so I figured I would check to see if they were edible.I took two first.
I was careful in digging because I didn’t want to damage the potatoes so I used a gardening fork to loosen the soil and then used my hands to dig through the bucket.
They were very soft and had a pure flavor which I do not get from the store bought potato. So, you may have guessed it, I dug up the others 🙂 . They were just as delightful and worth every ounce of effort I put in.
As for the other things in the ground, I continue to reap. I had the last of the leeks, and the green onions are still going; I think I will reap them one last time in the next week and plant a new set. These ones are getting thin. I haven’t yet checked the growth of the garlic but I think they are okay. I will check on them soon. The sweet potato is still going. It seems to have stalled in its growth after I put it in the ground; the leaves were severely burnt from the sun. I am thinking, I should have gradually transitioned it into direct sunlight. Anyway, It has started sending out new leaves so I am expecting ‘big tings’ from it.
Over the last two weeks we’ve been blessed with rain so I planted some cantaloup, watermelon, and pumpkin seeds. We’ll see how these perform in the coming months.
In the meantime, how is your posh farm coming along? I hope you have been able to reap from what you have sown. Until next time…Happy Posh Farming 🙂
My little one(s) are doing quite well from what I can tell. Being the novice I am, I take pride in the green leaves and growing plants. I’m not sure what’s going on underground but they look quite healthy and the plants are growing real fast. As I mentioned last week, I noticed that the plants which had emerged had doubled in size in the week since they broke the soil. By week 4 they were too big for the pot they were in, and I was concerned that if I left them in that pot, it would limit the yield. So I re-potted the plant(s) in a 5 gallon bucket that I begged from a painter (he was about to toss it).
Potato at 4 wks – too big for the pot
The bucket for the growing potato
Punctured the bottom of the bucket to allow excess water to run out
I had to be very careful because I didn’t want to disturb the growing potatoes. I must admit, I think I may have damaged a few of the more fragile sprouts but I tried my best and I think I did well; my little one(s) now have ample room to grow. I also know now to plant it in a big container from the beginning.
I must also admit that growing the potato in the container is far more interesting to me as a novice. It is also more manageable. In hindsight, I’m not sure what I was thinking taking on such ‘large scale farming’ last year :-). Anyway, it was a wonderful learning experience and I now have a new level of respect for those who till the soil so that we can eat.
Re-potted potato
Escallion (Green Onions)
Two weeks ago, a friend of mine sent me a photo of escallion that he’d gotten from his neighbor. So this week I decided to expand my posh farm by planting escallions (and anything else I find in my kitchen). Escallion is something I use a lot in my cooking. It’s very appealing to the senses and enhances the flavor of whatever it is I am preparing. I’ve always had to buy what I need, so this week when I went to the supermarket, I decided I would try growing escallion from the ones I’d bought. They had no visible roots (I assumed that if I had gone to the market I probably would have gotten better ones). Anyway, they were labeled ‘local’ so I am trusting that something will grow from the ones I have.
Escallion cut for planting
Escallion in water
I wasn’t sure of the best technique to use so I consulted farmer Google. All the sites I found recommended that I put the root of the escallion in water and place it on my window sill; it should grow roots and produce escallions. I was a bit skeptical so I decided to try two different methods; one in the water and the other in soil (I actually had to go to the hardware store for more potting soil, which I figure will come in handy later on. It came in very handy for the re-potting of the potato).
I first cut away the top parts of the escallion for use in my cooking and I placed most of the bottom parts in an unused jar I had lying around the kitchen. I placed them in just enough water to cover the area which should root. I also planted one of the bottom pieces in soil to see what would happen. I had two reasons for doing this. I wanted to find out if:
one of the planting techniques would yield better results, and
we could grow multiple stalks of escallion from a single piece.
I’m still not sure, but at the time of writing this, I am amazed at how fast the escallions are growing. After twelve hours, both the ones in the bottle and the one in the soil are showing new shoots.
Potting soil
Escallion in soil
New growth – escallion planted in soil (12 hrs after planting)
New growth – escallion in water (12 hrs after planting)
My Refrigerator – the Incubator
My refrigerator is slowly becoming the incubator for my posh farm :-); I take things home from the supermarket, place them in the refrigerator and they start growing. I’m loving it!
Sweet Potato
Earlier this week I was getting ready to scrub a sweet potato for cooking when I realized that tiny shoots were coming from one end of it. The farmer in me decided to remove the growing end from the rest of the potato and see how the process unfolds over time; of course, I ate the other bit :-).
The Irish potato had no help from be in its initial stage of propagating;Â had simply left it out on the counter. This time I decided to ‘help’ the sweet potato by putting its base in some water. I’m not sure what will happen; time will tell.
In the meantime, be sure to plant something this week. Happy posh farming!
Posh Farming 