Pre-Garden Update

In February, I ordered seeds for this year's garden.  Later that month, I sewed the peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, cabbage, watermelon, marigolds, asparagus and rhubarb indoors.  With the exception of one variety of peppers, (the Peruvian ones, wouldn't you know, because DD2 & I were so excited to get those seeds), they all sprouted and are growing well.

Once all the seedlings in the trays had unfurled their first sets of leaves, and when DD1's bridal shower was over, I erected my little 'greenhouse' (the acquisition of which I blogged about here several years ago) and transferred the trays into that. For over a month now,  it has held a prominent spot in my living room, right in front of the big sliding door that faces east, and also in the path of one of the two south facing windows of that room.

Inside, everything is warm and humid and green.  It's so nice to see green stuff, as outdoors most everything is still brown and yellow from the winter.  The grass in the yard had barely started to grow late last week when we got hit with a really nasty cold and wet spell.  Saturday was rain, Sunday was freezing rain and sleet, Monday was snow, and even today has been little spits of snow now and then with a cold, cold wind.

It's so nice to look in the greenhouse and see green.  Like the ferny asparagus fronds. And the tomato plants with their strong thick stems and 3-4 sets of leaves all ready.

baby asparagus

August's fresh tomatoes

Since it's too cold in the garden still to plant anything, even the peas or lettuces, I've been prepping what I can. On Friday, I received my one and only order of seed potatoes for this year.  I'm adding Superior (bought from The Maine Potato Lady) to the many varieties I all ready grow.

Meanwhile, down in the cellar, I have quite a few potatoes left from last year's harvest.  Each crate or basket is a different variety, except for two or three that I had a bumper crop of and needed more than one storage container for.

the left half

the right half

Most of them are starting to chit (grow sprouts), and so I took my handy little kitchen scale to the cellar, where I put it to use measuring out 2 pounds of this kind for seed, or three or five pounds of that kind for seed, depending on what amount I want to harvest of each variety.  In general, average yield is roughly 10 pounds for every one pound of seed potatoes planted.  So, for instance, the really nice big oblong ones that we use for baked potatoes or slicing into french fries, I want to grow more of than I do the fingerling ones which are good for roasted potatoes and potato salads, but that we don't eat quite as much of.  And the round red ones that make the really creamy mashed potatoes, I want to plant lots of those too.  Thanksgiving dinner alone at this little place here can easily use up five pounds of red potatoes for mashed potatoes.

purple potatoes chitting

Once measured out, each variety went into it's own box on the shelf, to await warmer weather (and warmer soil!) out in the garden.  All together, I have roughly 27 pounds of seed potatoes set aside.  

What's left in the baskets and crates we will continue to eat until they get too old and withered to be palatable.  That typically occurs in late April or early May, depending on how quickly the cellar warms up.  Even though many of the potatoes have little sprouts, the sprouts can easily be knocked off and the potato cooked as normal.  It doesn't affect the taste or edibility of the potato any.