Tuesday, May 11, 2010

first ever potatoes

This is my first attempt to grow potatoes--Yukon Golds--and although it's a small yield, I'm very pleased. They were delicious sauteed in butter with a little salt--very creamy. I should have a handful more ready in a few days.



I think I'm getting so few because the potato plants didn't get enough sun because my huge American elm leafed out earlier and more profusely this year from winter and early spring rains. The huge American elm covers both my raised bed areas and last summer it was drought stressed and not very lush, providing just enough shade to protect my tomatoes and cucumbers from the intense heat.

This time around, I think there's just too much shade for the tomatoes I put in more than a month ago, so I recently planted Sun Golds, Juliets, a Black Krim, a Creole, and a Cherokee Purple in pots in the sunny side yard. This pot hodgepodge isn't pretty but it's practical, and I should at least get a fair amount of cherries and Juliets.



Next fall we'll make a raised bed in that area, which wasn't sunny enough for vegetables until a few weeks ago, when husband Kurt cut down an ailing cherry laurel tree. Already too hot to mess with making that bed this season, though.

6 comments:

Annie in Austin said...

The Yukon Gold potatoes look delicious, Iris - and I can relate to the shade/sun problem.

We can usually get some tomatoes from a spring planting because the pecans don't fully expand their leaves until the sun is high. But no fall plantings when the sun is low again- the pecans make the garden very shady then.
On the other hand, it's nice to have cool shade!

Good luck with the new bed where once reigned a cherry laurel ;-]

Annie at the Transplantable Rose

Iris said...

Thanks Annie! Figuring out the sun/shade "problem" (don't want to jinx/insult my large, old trees) is tricky, but now I'm more aware. And I, too, appreciate the cool shade! So we'll just adjust and move things around until we have the energy to dig new beds!

Rock rose said...

POtatoes. They are on my veg. list for next year. When did you plant them?

Iris said...

Lancashirerose--I planted them mid-March. I need to dig up the last few before it rains this weekend (fingers crossed.) Larry, the owner/farmer at Boggy Creek Farm told me that Yukon Golds are notorious for their low yield. Live & learn...

LindaCTG said...

Congratulations on first potatoes. And yes, the garden is constantly a project for "next year" as sun & shade alter our plans. But good idea with pots for now; you'll have yummy tomatoes & a new bed to look forward to making.

Iris said...

Linda--Thanks for the encouraging words!