- Author: Cheryl A Potts
Surprisingly, the second best thing I like to do with potatoes, the first, of course, would be eating them, is not planting them, but digging them up. I become like a little kid finding a new toy hidden by my parents in a toy box or an adult, finding a twenty dollar bill in a pocket of a pair of jeans not having been worn for over six months. I never know how many I am going to find, or what size they are going be. Almost every time I do any digging in the vegetable garden area of my yard, I find a potato I missed the first time around. Yea! Lunch!
I have learned that I am only to grow plant certified seed potatoes. Previously, I would plant the eyes of any organic potato I happen to buy, but these store bought spuds perhaps have been treated with a sprout inhibitor and/or may have a potato virus which will cause my crop to be less than desired. The appropriate seeds can be found in most any seed catalog. Each year, one of the catalogs I receive sells potatoes exclusively.
The soil for the potatoes (Solanum tuberosum) needs to be loose, slightly acidic and well draining, so do not plant in clay. Well mulched, composted soil works best.
Potatoes can be planted in this area in February through March for a summer crop or July through August for a winter crop. These plants do not like excessively hot weather but so far mine have done fairly well in this Vacaville heat.
The actual planting of these seeds is a bit different than with other plantings. You take the potatoes and cut them up, making sure you leave at least one eye on each piece. Then you set these pieces of potato aside, somewhere that is room temperature and slightly humid, for one to two days. This causes the pieces to develop what is called a callus, which will help the seed not rot once in the ground.
To actually plant the seeds, place one in a hole about three inches deep. Your plant rows should be about thirty-six inches apart according to the information I have read, but I must admit, I do plant them a bit closer together, with the plants six to ten inches apart in the row. Cover with soil to ground level and then in about a month, add three more inches of soil to your row. Water needs to consistent, but relatively light, as they are shallow-rooted. Do not allow the soil to dry out as a second growth will start when and if the soil becomes moist again, That is if your first crop has already formed. This will cause those real knobby tubers, the ones impossible to peel or cavities called "hollow hearts" in the center of the vegetable.
It is time to dig up your potatoes when the vine dies, the only death I look forward to in my garden. Cut the vine away before digging, then carefully dig up the soil and find your treasures. Kids, I have found, love digging up potatoes, so use your grandchildren well.
Potatoes should be cured for about two week somewhere where is it relatively cool, 55 degrees and humid. Then the they can be stored. Be careful not to store potatoes with apples.
My favorite is Yukon Gold, but there are many other varieties that do well here. White Rose, Russet Burbank and Norgold Russet are a few. The above mentioned potato-only catalog has some great sets of various varieties in one package, which can make for a really fun potato patch.
There are some pests to watch out for. One is that proverbial aphid, and he is rather easy to deal with. Another is the potato tubermoth. He, too, can be dealt with by simply making sure that your seeds are always covered with soil, meaning, watch out for cracks in the soil. There is also a fellow named the Colorado potato beetle, a stubby, round bug with a big appetite for the leaves. Watch for him, and when you find him, throw him away. Then look closely for any eggs that have been laid on the underside of the leaves, especially the early ones, and wash them off with insecticidal soap or clip off the leaf entirely. The eggs are bright orange, so rather easy to fine.
Potatoes can be grown in pots, and some enjoy growing them in big containers such as a garbage can. As the plant grows, more soil is added, so potatoes grow at many levels. Just be sure your container can drain.
Just for your information, the growing of sweet potatoes or yams are a completely different story, and perhaps fodder for another blog.
- Author: Karen Metz
In June I wrote a blog about the April removal of my dead lawn and replacement with drought tolerant plants. At the time some people asked that I later update the status as things progressed. So these pics represent just after planting in April and then what it looked like at the end of October. I am pretty pleased. The plants have really started filling out. Some have almost tripled in size. I've even had blooms from the Russian Sage, Perovskia atriplicifolia, Dwarf Plumbago, Ceratostigma plumbaginoides, and Euryops.
The blue fescue makes a nice contrast with all the green. The Ceanothus griseus horizantalis didn't bloom much, but is very healthy. My favorite though is the Acacia cognate 'Cousin Itt'. This was my only new plant, I had fallen for it after seeing it in a catalog. I had a hard time locating three specimens at the time the landscaper was ready to plant. Two were fine but one looked very sickly. The healthy plants have grown like gangbusters and are lush very green and very reminiscent of Cousin It from the Addams family. The sickly plant has gotten even more sickly and actually looks like it is at death's door. I want to replace it with a healthy specimen, but I thought it might be wise to first see how the 'Cousin Itts' do this winter. If they survive the winter I will definitely get another one.
Either way my neighbors are deliriously happy that they are no longer looking at dead lawn. I know just how they feel I couldn't stand it anymore either.
- Author: Betty Victor
The Plant Foundry http://www.plantfoundry.com/ is a small urban nursery located at 3500 Broadway in Sacramento. We had heard about this nursery and decided to check it out.
What a nice surprise, for a small nursery. In this nursery you will find a variety of plants, such as air plants, succulents, native plants, drought tolerant, shrubs and trees, heirlooms and cottage plants. They had a good variety of edibles as well. All the plants looked healthy and well-labeled, some of their plants are from Annie's Annuals. Fruit trees, and dwarf citrus were also available. This nursery also carries certified organic soils, fertilizers, and soil amendments.
When the City of Sacramento approved backyard chickens, this nursery added Artisan chicken coops, so if you have backyard chickens you might want to check them out, plus they have certified organic feed.
In their inside nursery, they have books on gardening, Artisan made pottery, certified organic seeds, and tools. If you're looking for garden décor they have it including- small table and chair sets for a deck or patio.
The Plant Foundry holds classes on succulent gardens, orchids, and terrariums-to name a few offered during the year.
This was a much understated nursery that has a lot for its size. We were really surprised at what they had for this small space, surprised and very pleased as well. They have qualified people to help you answer questions. You can spend as much times as you want, a little or a lot. I intend to return in the spring to see what they may have, it's not too far away and easy to find.
- Author: Pamela Allen
On Saturday, 10/22 I was stepping off a plane in beautiful (HOT, HUMID) Puerto Vallarta, Mexico, with a packed itinerary in hand! It was a tough schedule, pedicure followed by hours on the beach only to be disturbed when it is time to move to the pool or get ready for dinner. It was rough!
One stop that I was most excited to make was at the Vallarta Botanical Gardens. I was excited to see the orchids and native plants, the rhododendron house, and the seasonal butterfly garden. Alas, timing is everything! Late October is the beginning of the drier cooler winter months. Many of the glorious blooms that can be found on their website www.vbgardens.org were no longer showing their beautiful colors.
I did truly enjoy learning more about bromeliads, which are abundant in the gardens everywhere you look!
Puerto Vallarta did not disappoint me though. Here are some beautiful colors found right outside my resort door! ENJOY!
There were bougainvilleas of every shape and color everywhere you look, but I loved the triangle shape and tinge of purple on the bracts of this variety.
- Author: Lorraine Remer
I visited family in Albuquerque a few weeks ago. While there, my sister Joanne Mc Entire (Querenciagreen.org) took me on a tour of a community garden called LA Mesa Neighborhood Garden Park. Joanne is a community planner who has been working on green infrastructure projects in the urban areas of Albuquerque. She helped with the design and building of this garden park about 2 years ago from the perspective of water harvesting rain from the monsoon season. She described the many steps and community groups that were involved to convert a third of an acre corner plot that was nothing but flat compacted soil. Shaping the land with contours, swales and basins so all rainfall would be put to the best use was integrated with amending the soil to both hold the rain water and not be lost in the arid climate and to create a vibrant rich soil for the the new drought tolerant plants. Four inches of woody mulch topping was added to prevent aridity from occurring. The selection of drought tolerant plants includes grasses, succulents and sages which needed initial watering from the neighborhood volunteers to get through the first year of dry weather.
My tour and discussion with Joanne sparked my appreciation and understanding about the essential elements in creating a garden with limited rainfall in an arid climate. The community team effort is pivotal from the design and implementation phases to guarantee success. Various volunteer groups to do the hard foundation work and planting was an integral part of the project. Residents in the Mesa neighborhood enjoy and take pride in this garden as the children in the school across the street take tours of the garden and parents wait for their children after school in the garden which provides a little shade and a touch of beauty.