Skip to main content

Potatoes

On the pro side of no rain, what I had weeded is stayed weed free.  On the con side of it, I had to water one day and weed another day.  It was like concrete.


Oye.  This is one corner of the potatoes.  It's a total mess.


On July 18th, I started weeding them.  Sadly, all the tops had browned and the potatoes I checked were about 1 inch round.  I continued to weed, not giving up, and hoping the next rain would revive them.


A few plants still have green on them, so I continued to weed.  you know I'm not one to give up unless it's obviously just not going to yield us food.  


Yeah, as the days passed by, and the weeds came back (after that photo), I started digging.

Here's what we got.

Dinky is this summer's word.    A complete fail.  We planted 15# and harvested 15.43#.  The heat waves, despite watering, caused the plants to die off way too early.  Such a waste of money and time.

I will be buying the almanac from now on, and checking the weather predictions.  I won't plant late ever again.  

Live and learn.  Don't plant late if that's the case.  In our area, it did not work.  The tomato plants are not tall enough, didn't have enough time, the weather is already changing, and the tomatoes are way too small.

Not complaining, just sharing reality.  It's not all peaches and cream.

Comments

Granny_J said…
Sadly, I had the same results with my garden that you had with yours. I planted later than normal and was very disappointed with the results.
granny j, next time this happens we won't be putting in a garden. It's been a huge loss for us.
Susan said…
With the rapidly changing climate, it's hard to know when to plant anymore. All the old tried-and-true rules have flown out the door. I am trying to be more aware of the changes so that I can plant accordingly, but some years you just can't stay ahead.
Disappointing results-yes-but never a waste. Your were exercising when you planted and weeded, you had good time outdoors and you learned another gardening lesson as well do, every year. Hang in there and garden on!
mamasmercantile said…
I am so sorry, all the hard work and effort you put in it must be very disappointing for you.
Susan, I agree. I will be buying the almanac next year, and every year after that (and hope it guides me better).
Donna, you are so right! Ha ha! Lesson learned and exercise. And fresh air.
Sam I Am...... said…
I'm so sorry....that's the pits because you put the same amount of work in regardless of the yield.
Goatldi said…
We didn't get any potatoes year but neither did we plant any. We planted two years ago and actually had volunteers crop up last year that apparently were missed the year before. So I guess we got a bonus round then. Better return for your efforts next year. And I agree about the Almanac.

Popular posts from this blog

Chit Chat

  The pickings are slim right now, but we'll take anything we are blessed with.  I made a salad and cleaned the beans.  The rain will give us more for a meal in a day or so.  The green beans are every so slowly coming on this season. I made a batch of homemade granola, and instead of my homemade vanilla extract, I used my homemade Christmas Spice Extract.  It smelled so good in the oven, and while cooling.   I picked some purslane, and am doing an experiment with it this time.  Update soon.   Chit Chat ©  August 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart

I've Been MIA and Heat Wave

First day of July.  It's hot.   I'm definitely not entering a stage of boredom any day soon.  Although I've been doing a lot, it's been productive.  We are in the middle of the worst heat wave I can ever remember.  So humid, there is very little to no work being done in the gardens for the last few days.  Heat index has been up to 106 degrees, and nights did not get any cooler than about  77 degrees.  The heat wave will continue for the rest of the week.  No rain yet. I froze water in small bottles to keep the chickens water cold, and froze treats for them. I canned a small batch of reduced sugar peach jam (before the heat  wave).  I have to admit, it's been very nice to can for two people now.   Enjoyed the last of our asparagus harvest.  The last two stalks were harvested June 29th.  The longest asparagus season we've ever had.  They look light colored, but taking them out of the fridge, they quickly...

Reminders?

      On the positive side (after the hot pepper debacle). . .                                                We are looking forward to creative healthy meals, derived from the garden and whatever is in abundance, or available.  The chickens helped supply this meal last year and was delicious. Beets roasted with onions and rosemary from the herb garden.  Also, a picture from previous garden years.  Oh, we put thyme on these too, and also from the herb garden. Not to forget those tomatoes and all the sauces made over the years.  That dish included asparagus from the garden, as well as oregano from the herb garden. Sometimes a roll down memory lane gives us the spark to keep gardening and planting.  Maybe.   Reminders?   ©  June 2026 by Kristina at Pioneer Woman at Heart