Potato Farming

Yesterday morning I felt industrious and built up the dirt around the potato plants; all 55 of them. Oh MY! I’ve never planted this many and thank goodness I LOVE TO CAN.  I read that covering half of a 6″ tall potato plant helps it become stronger and gives the potatoes some looser soil to grow it.  I’ll repeat this process again when the potatoes grow a bit taller.  I did this last year and it worked well and made it easier to dig up the potatoes.
I used my favorite garden tool to pull the soil up from both sides, my metal leaf rake. I love the fact that it has a wide swath and with my sandy soil it is easy to use for raking the soil. It also picks up the loose dead pieces of Bermuda grass that are along the top of the soil.

The carrot seeds I planted have yet to make any sort of appearence. The package said “guaranteed to grow”, well we shall see; if not I’m sending for my money back. I paid over $3 for the package.

On another note your have to forgive the lack of post as of late. My father just had a new knee replacement last week and I’ve been busy working and going to the hospital…now going to Rehab. My Dad’s Dr announced him “amazing” after his heart valve surgery last Sept. and with this one he just shook his head and smiled. My Dad is 84 and a very active man. He will be helping me till the garden when he gets his strength back.

Later this week the planting signs will be right for above ground planting and I will be planting the corn and green beans.

By the way…Here’s a picture of my new toy.

A Craftsman Mini Tiller. I just LOVE it. Though it is a bit harder to handle than my Dad’s big one. I am sure with practice I will get better a handling it. Any suggestions?? Right now I can get it to skip along the top of the ground or dig in the soil about 4″ and then I have to pull it out. Slightly annoying.

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Welcome

March 10, 2012

WELCOME to my 2012 gardening blog.  Last years blog was a lot of fun for me to make and share with, well whoever read it, so I’m doing it again.

Last years Blog
ArkansasFarmerette 2011::  http://arkansasfarmerette.wordpress.com

 I’ve already paid a visit to the local Farmers Co-op and bought my Pontiac seed potatoes, onions (red(purple) and Walla Walla yellow), Sparkler White Tip radish seeds, blue lake bush green bean seeds and Clemson Spineless Okra seeds.

 The weather here in AR gave us a mild winter with only one snow day.  Right now we’re going from 30’s or 40’s at night to 60’s to 70’s during the day.  There was a light frost yesterday morning.  It is hard to know when the last frost is so you can do you main planting; since our weather is so odd.  ‘Course they say, if you don’t like the weather here just wait a day and it will change.

 Three days ago my Dad cut up the seed potatoes and laid them on newspaper to dry.  For those of you who don’t know how to cut them; the purpose is to cut the potato into chunks where each chunk has an eye. SEE PICTURE BELOW.  The eye is where the plant and roots come from.  You can cut up to 6 eyes from a potato, depending on the size.  I bought a 4 1/2 lb. bag of potatoes and my father cut out close to 80 chunks.  My Dad tells me that his father planted the potatoes eye down in the ground and my Mom’s mother planted them eye up.  I just drop them in the 3” deep hole, cover with dirt and press with my foot.

 Today was/is a good day for planting root crops.  I planted 72 potato plants, 134 total of both onion varieties and a 5 ft. row of radishes.  Rain tonight is in the forecast, so they will all get a good soaking.  It is too early to plant the green beans and okra.  I will not put them in the ground till late April or May.

Be sure and check out the 2012 Planting Guide

https://arkansasfarmerette2012.wordpress.com/2012-planting-guide/