Two Old Tools

My focus this morning was to finally get some seed potatoes into the ground.  This soil has been undisturbed for the two plus decades that we have owned this land.  For several years grass clippings were piled here to try and end the quack grass that owns this ground.  The quack grass held on but its roots moved upward into the rotting grass clippings.  Removing both the above ground growth and the roots is rather simply accomplished.  Rolling back the root mass with a four tined spade is easily done.  With the active growth transferred to the compost pile, it was time to loosen the soil.

This Planet Junior cultivator has been mine for almost fifty years.  It still does a masterful job of turning the ground.  My pace is slower now but that lessens the risk of breaking a tine on a long buried rocks.  When man and machine were finished, thirty-two potatoes were carefully placed in the newly loosened soil.

Just a note on the dress of the day.  Sun protection and tick avoidance overrule appearance concerns.  Passersby may see me as someone to be avoided just because I dress a little differently.  That does make my time truly my time.

These ninety square feet are now ready to receive thirty-two seed potatoes.  The garlic visible just to the right is growing where the potatoes grew last year.  Next year garlic will hold this newly opened ground.  The quack grass in the distance will then be cleared for potatoes.  That will be the last new ground opened here.  This garden will finally consist of eight beds and the crops will rotate across used ground.  The garlic disease that drove us to open new ground seems to be gone from our stock.  We should be able to reuse planting beds that previously grew garlic.

Our seed potatoes, purchased from a Colorado grower, have been waking up while supported on plastic greenhouse trays in our hallway.  Chitting is the name of this process.  Warmth and subdued light begin active growth in the potatoes.  We should soon see above ground plants.  From left to right the following varieties can be seen.  La Ratte is a fingerling that produces impressive potatoes.  Canela is a new russet that seems to have been bred to turn out uniformly sized single portion baking potatoes.  Colorado Rose is a newly produced strain that is protected from resale.  Red Gold had to wait for the second trip.  It is an old favorite that shows its yellow flesh through the red skin.  When washed, freshly dug potatoes look like oranges because of the combination of colors.

The tight growth from the eyes is visually attractive.  Complex structure and various different colors invite careful moving to the planting hole.  I carelessly broke off only one eye while planting all of these seeds.

Both the old cultivator and the experienced man pushing it came through the day in great shape.  When I retired to this land, I was confident that somewhat strenuous activity would prolong my usable life span.  Today that appears to have been a sound plan.