What did you do in the garden today?

[WthrLady]

LOVE my viking potatoes!!! Good for storing and taste amazing. I have better luck with them than the yukons. Something a lot of people mess up on is not tempering their potato cuts. I get larger seed potatoes and make sure I make cuts that have at least 3 eyes. I toss them in a big bowl in the kitchen and let them just sit for 3 or 4 days. I make sure they get lots of air. It seals the cuts and protects the start.

THEN plant. THEN fertilize when sprouts appear.

Anyway. I figured out the blank labels. BY massive process of elimination. I relabeled everything in the potting shed and what was left over was either Verbascum or SnapDragons. One label I could just make out a V so that was that, the other must have been Snap Dragons.

 

[pennyJo1960]

We buy our potatoes at Costco they are not sprayed and spout seed in the store
I have planted the yukon and russet they grow wonderful here

 

[Searsmom]

My sharpies either faded or washed off last year.

Defective sharpies, take 'em back!

 

[WthrLady]

Defective sharpies, take 'em back!

I tossed them. They dried out. They were a new contractor grade outdoor sharpie. Were terrible. I went back to normal sharpies this year.

 

[ChocolateMouse]

Thanks for the link.
Can you tell me a lil about the Viking variety?? and advantages over other potatoes .

Well, they're super pretty for one - stunning dark purple with bright pink stripes which is really fun. Supposedly those crazy skin colors contain more antioxidants which is a nice thought.
They're a bigger potato, around the size of a smaller baking potato, but they have a crispy white snappy texture and a fresher flavor more like a red potato. So they taste really good cooked lightly in a soup, fried lightly as breakfast potatoes, or potato wedges or chunks. They're really good fresh and they don't have any of the mealy softness that a lot of baking potatoes have. My favorite way to eat potatoes is light boiled in chunks with garlic, dill and butter and a pinch of salt. These hold up to boiling very well and keep their chunk shape.

These were the ones I grew last year. Edit: I fixed the lighting so you can get a better sense of how pretty they are.

They're also very resistant to scab and grow better in containers. We have some scab around here and I try to grow them semi-vertically so I like them for that. But also because they're big they're better storage potatoes than other kinds of potatoes with the same sort of bright, snappy flavor.

Also, I find the bigger harder potatoes hold up to the wireworms we have to deal with better than the softer ones.

https://www.highmowingseeds.com/blo...selecting-the-right-varieties-for-your-needs/

I mean, they're definitely a bit of a "novelty" potato, they wont produce as crazy as some of the other kinds, but I really like their flavor and their color just makes me so happy when I pull them out of the ground and wash them. And what's the fun in gardening something that doesn't excite you?

 

[WthrLady]

Exactly! They are NOT a wax potato. We harvested them at just about the size of a pool ball. Ours had normal red/purple skin, not calico and didn't have stripes. But I suppose it's where you get them from. I grew ours in a potato tower.

I have given up potatoes, white flour and rice, so they'll be no more potatoes grown here, but it was fun, and they were delish! AND YES! Olive oil or butter, with garlic, and rosemary! YUM!

Sweet potatoes are hit or miss here depending on the weather. Last two years were great. I always buy slips, Beauregard variety works the best here. Again in bags. Our local soil is NO good for root veg.

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

OK folks, update time. We got most of the beds raised and the walkways in. Nothing like multi-generational living with strong young men around.

Fence is up but not connected yet. Chickens so far respect it anyway, guess they got the word already that it hurts their feet from the back porch section that is turned on. Here is a thread on our fence.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence-grounding-question.1293804/#post-21129117

I devised zero-cost systems to let the tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers climb. Here is the thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...atoes-on-a-budget-free.1299522/#post-21158617

Our CEO is off today rubbing shoulders with other local CEOs and GEOs at a 4H event. My back is taking a half-day off, LOL.

Zero-cost tomato climbers:

 

[RenoHuskerDu]

Thanks for the link.
Can you tell me a lil about the Viking variety?? and advantages over other potatoes .

We've gardened in rural Norcal, France, and now Texas. Every location seems to require a different potato selection to avoid loss from various natural causes. The worst was France where we lost 80% of the crop due to Irish blight. The next year we planted only moisture-resistant and had a full crop.

So choose which type you plant carefully, ask a lot of questions, and trust locals who have been growing for years. Potatoes are wonderful but surprisingly fragile.

 

[Searsmom]

OK folks, update time. We got most of the beds raised and the walkways in. Nothing like multi-generational living with strong young men around.

Fence is up but not connected yet. Chickens so far respect it anyway, guess they got the word already that it hurts their feet from the back porch section that is turned on. Here is a thread on our fence.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/threads/electric-fence-grounding-question.1293804/#post-21129117

I devised zero-cost systems to let the tomatoes, peas, and cucumbers climb. Here is the thread.
https://www.backyardchickens.com/th...atoes-on-a-budget-free.1299522/#post-21158617

Our CEO is off today rubbing shoulders with other local CEOs and GEOs at a 4H event. My back is taking a half-day off, LOL.
View attachment 1719868

Zero-cost tomato climbers:
View attachment 1719888

Oh! Brainstorm from looking at your pics! I know that's not what your post was about but something just clicked. Have an old cattle panel that got warped in a major flood 8 years ago, just sitting there bothering me, it's bent in the middle. I'm thinking runner beans up the sides, or maybe just sweet peas to cover it....

 

[igorsMistress]

Snaps from the yard today. The lemon tree has been buzzing with bees. The aloe that's blooming is in the compost pile. Those the chickens are chilling next to were planted last fall. I cleared two huge clumps to plant the hibiscus and the yellow bell shaped things in their place. Aloe with a good lauer of composted mulch is wonderful for breaking up hard soil here.