Daily Photo: Purple Iris
Jun 4th, 2008 by Laura
I’ve been taking photos of flowers, so indulge me over the next few days as I post them.
I acquired a new skill tonight, not a very impressive one though. I learned to drive the John Deere mower. Mike taught me in about 90 seconds and now I’m really not sure why it took me 30 years to get to this point. It’s so easy that I feel silly for even having to ask him to show me. Oh well.
Why did I learn you ask? Because I need to hill up 4 rows of potatoes and the compost/topsoil stash that the previous owners left is more than 200 yards from the garden (650 feet) and it’s slightly uphill to get back to the garden. I was going to haul it by wheelbarrow, but Mike pointed out that that was insane.
So instead I drove the tractor out there with the trailer behind it and Mike loaded me up with the trackhoe. We did that twice. In the end I needed 8 wheelbarrows of compost to hill all the potatoes - so glad that I listened to Mike!
The potatoes are all hilled again. And I can only hope that they’re good for a week. And that I may have planted too many potatoes (is that even possible?!?).
How’s your garden?
Your iris are beautiful. I love that color. Looking forward to more.
Oh, would you like to come hill my potatoes, too?
Whenever I have the time, it seems to be pouring. I guess I’ll just need to lump it and do it, but loading sopping wet compost into the wheelbarrow doesn’t sound like much fun.
60 feet of potatoes? It’ll probably get you 60-90 lbs of potatoes, which really isn’t that much (for us anyway). I’m doing about 80 feet, and would do much more if I had the room. But there are four of us to feed.
Peas are blooming, cabbage and broccoli are doing well. Tomatoes are languishing, and the corn and cukes rotted in the ground. I’m not upset about the corn, since I have more, but I used up all my cuke seed, and only had one plant to show for it. I guess I’ll be starting them indoors from now on. I think I’ll need to build a small hoophouse for the tomatoes if I’m going to get any to ripen this year. They’re now saying it’s going to be a cool summer. Guess I’ll be planting lots of cabbage and making sauerkraut this fall!
Joan - thanks!
Kristi - Nope, but thanks for the offer
I’ve actually got more like 120 feet of potatoes because I did double rows. So while on the garden plan it looks like just two rows, it’s really 4. So yeah. Lots of potatoes.
I had the same problem with my cucumbers - luckily I had seed left so I’m trying to start them in pots inside now. And I put the peppers out just in time for it to get cold - they are SO NOT HAPPY. I’m trying to decide what to do about it, I may run to the nursery tonight and see if I can get any plastic cloches for them or maybe those water walls? There are 8 of them out there. As for the tomatoes? I’m not sure if I’m dedicated enough to put them under plastic or not - how much work is it?
I don’t have the beautiful acreage that you have so my potatoes are confined to pots. I have been “hilling” them wilth straw to see if I can increase the yield. Sort of a spin on the old tire stack method. They keep growing out the top so something is working. My peppers are languishing a bit too. Last night we were down around 47 F, not enough to damage them, but certainly not good for growth. Peas and cool weather crops are loving this spring though!
BTW, I love your new header pic.
P~
Too many? No such thing. You’ll be happy for all of the potatoes come winter, and they’re so versatile, you could eat potatoes every day of the week and have something different every night ;).
Your irises are gorgeous. Purple is my favorite color ;).