Around here, we're pretty famous for our potatoes. Even our licence plates will tell you that. And every year, the potato planting is a red-letter day, when we help our friends with their crop. This year I believe we got well over 20,000 plants in the ground with a ten+ person crew in two days.
We could have done more - a whole lot of joking and horsing around and (ahem) picture taking went on. Because after all - potato planting comes but once a year!
Corn lilies - I just discovered these beautiful flowers this year, thanks to Grandpa, who brought them up from the creek to decorate the table.
He isn't really our Grandpa, but we like to call him that.
Cutting the Seed
Each seed has to have at least one eye - to see by:) Some of the seed potatoes are so small they don't need to be cut, and some are too small, but most get cut about the size of a golf ball.
Bag after bag after bag.
Right in the middle, someone (we won't name names) locked the keys in the car, so we all had an impromptu lesson on the art of clothes-hanger lock picking. Fascinating.
Planting
Drop them 12-18 inches apart - the closer the plants are, the less room the potatoes have to grow. And lord willing, they're going to grow big. Two years ago the record was the size of a football.
With butter... salt and pepper... Ohh. ♥
Then the fun of the potato harvest around October awaits!
This is so fascinating! I had no idea how potatoes are planted. And literally by hand? I am beyond impressed! 20,000.00 seedlings is amazing! Ahhh, Yukon Gold-- my absolute favorite!
ReplyDeleteLooks like fun! I can't wait to see the results!
ReplyDeletehttp://hopefulforhomemaking.blogspot.com
~Stephanie
this year i have planted potatoes, but i don't like so much this work. But your smile shows that you are really enjoying doing this thing. Wonderful, you enjoy every moment of life, without complaing , I admire you.
ReplyDeleteIn Virginia we plant potatoes in April and harvest them in July or August.
ReplyDeleteWe plant about a 1/2 acre on our farm; in a few weeks we'll be harvesting them.
The work is always more fun with a happy group of people to help out! :)
It looks like loads of fun! One year we planted a itty bitty garden with maybe 15 tomato plants, and apparently in Illinois they don't grow too well! Haha, they were all very little and sparse when it was time to harvest them.
ReplyDelete~Molly
Potatoes. I love 'em:)
ReplyDeleteActually, I think that's a law around here - you must like potatoes. ;)
Looks like a lot of work, but work is always fun with friends:)
Love you,
~Tasha~