A 'large' potato patch:
fresh picture of the early potatos my friend's children planted in april:
We had some good rain the last days.
There's more forecast next week.
Even though [...]tilling kills ALL the biology crops need to be healthy., @goldenoakfarm, these look pretty healthy and strong to me. Experience has taught me though, that lush green doesn't always translate to large potatos, yet, this looks pretty promising.
I sprinkle a little wood ash on the greens of the potato plants. Because increased rainfall always attracts slugs and snails. 👨🌾🥔🥔
That seems like a good idea; I'll keep that in mind.
This year was so dry though, I don't see slugs around.
Beim morgendlichen Durchforsten des Blätterwaldes stieß ich auf diese Nachricht:
https://www.spiegel.de/wissenschaft/natur/schneckenplage-im-garten-warum-hobbygaertner-in-diesem-jahr-besonders-viele-nacktschnecken-bekaempfen-muessen-a-7da9db6e-d828-4673-bd06-8381d07e4ee3
I sometimes think the pattern of the planting or the gene of the planted potatoes itself is responsible for how big a potatoe any any tuber crop might look, but this is still looking very promising like you've said
Of course, the variety matters.
This is called 'Linda' and they don't get very big, even under best conditions.
As for pattern of planting: I think as long as they have enough space, the pattern doesn't matter all too much.
That being said, for my circumstances here, the most important factor is rain;
If I get no rain, they are chicken-egg sized, with good rain, they are about the size of a human fist.
You're right, rain is one of the most important factors. Tuber crops have a way of pulling some good surprises though. I hope by September it'll be a good harvest
Pronto intentaré también tener una pequeña siembra de papas aquí en casa amigo.
Kartoffelpufferfeier it is.
I have to wait for the apples to ripen, so I can make fresh applesauce to go with it.
...September probably...
That Kartoffelpuffer looks like a Spanish tortilla... As my grandparents were preparing many german dishes, that combo of salty potato with applesauce didn't look too weird... 🙂
On the other side, I don't like to mix sweet and salty in the same time... 😃
Spanish tortilla
I make a good tortilla, too, myself. But this is a very different dish:
It's from raw potato and onion (minimal egg) - the potato starch from shredding the potato binds the patties.
I would agree about mixing savoury and sweet stuff, normally, but there are exceptions: berrys/jam on game, berrys/jam and certain cheeses (camenbert) and... Kartoffelpuffer mit Apfelmus.
Don't knock it until you've tried.
Another determining factor is how many pests there are, or diseases in the potatoes, something you can't know until harvest.... But right now they do look promising.
I just couldn't get over your statement, that plants NEED mulch and untilled soil. How come 80% of the veg sold here in DE are out of dutch hydroponic farms? They don't even have soil.
Anyways thanks for the reply.
There are no pests here.
I have a lot of cockchafer larvae (which are kinda dying out, so I am not actively going after them) and voles (which I hate and they built an extensive tunnel network over the whole patch due to me NOT tilling)
Voles are the nemesis.
They ate ALL my peas.
They killed 5-6 fruit trees (Which was painfully expensive)
One day, I caught 10 in traps. Until I caught a dormouse, which I like a lot and I gave up trapping.
So, as I was trying to express in my post about my mulching problems: Tilling is the best method for my context.
It all depends on what you grow food for. Plants, like all living things need biology and nutrition for health. Soil left with the biology allows the plants to reach higher levels of health, thereby resisting diseases and pests without help. The higher the level of health in the plants you eat, the more nutrition you get, of a higher quality.
Plants can be grown in all kinds of mediums, but how high is the Brix measurement of nutrition in them? Over here there is a BIG division over hydroponics and organically grown food.
I agree that mulch has its problems. Last year the voles ate all the pea seedlings, twice. That's the very first time since 1998 that I've had that problem. But using cover crops for mulch is a better way of preserving soil health, but is more labor intensive than I can manage, so I use a lesser method, mulch.
We each use the system that works for us in the long haul, one that will preserve and increase the soil over time.
As I reread your post, you said you caught the voles in traps. I'd not come across vole traps over here... Is there a link on them?
Just found this and had to think of you
It's in German, but I don't understand much. Heavy accent.
Anyways, this guy was full-time vole catching.
I'm thinking I need greater fire power atm, as something is wrecking havok in the Small garden and I think it's larger than a vole by a good amount...
Not very familiar with the American fauna... hope it's not a grizzly :P
I wasn't exaggerating: One year they ate all pea shoots (I planted like handfuls of it as cover crops) and killed 8/10 fruit trees.
In total biomass, I might have as well fed a goat from that.
I just stick to what works: they don't eat the herbs or poatatos, so that's what I grow now.
https://www.bauhaus.ch/de/p/swissinno-supercat-wuehlmausfalle-20064536
I got something like this.
If you buy something like it, I recommend, you also buy their special tool to stamp out the hole it goes into.
It works great, I just ended up killing the wrong animal :(
edit:
It's also worth noting that some people say trapping will make them breed more. Can't really confirm, but sounds plausible...
I found it on e-bay:
I also found the tool on Amazon:
Thanks again for the info!
Yes, lower population = higher litter rates due to better food sources...
It is a pleasure to see potatoes growing so fast
Happy soon harvest
I would like to ask you off-topic if you know a secondary source of income with Satoshi and v4v.app to help grow my Hive power as I purchase more hive with Satoshi.
!PIZZA
Thank you
A secondary source of income with v4v.app?
If you find one, let me know, please :P
I use it to buy vouchers on bitrefill.com ...
