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| Potato Harvest |
When I reached the end of the last bag of potatoes I had bought, the remaining four potatoes were not only starting to sprout, they were starting to spoil, as well. I planted them, one in a pot and the other three in the ground, to see if they would grow and three of them grew. The one I planted in a pot had started to die back, so, M and I pulled the plant up and found it had grown three potatoes! One of them was a decent size, the other two were tiny. We've a long way to go before we can call ourselves potato farmers! Nevertheless, my daughter and I are thrilled with our homegrown potato harvest!
We've been busy this week, daughter and I, waging war against some itty bitty pests! Even though Dancer is no longer with us, the garden cats are still there and they have fleas. A few of the fleas seem to have made their way inside the house! They probably hitched a ride on our clothes when we came inside after being in the garden, but, we didn't realize it until my daughter noticed one and then another and yet another! We have been spraying and vacuuming and washing all the rugs and sofa covers, etc. in an attempt to get rid of them. The house has been vacuumed twice over in one week and the kitchen and bathrooms mopped. Today, we vacuumed under the sofa cushions. I'm checking spring cleaning off my To Do List!
I am grateful for:
- Our potato harvest!
- Flea sprays
- Daughter's help with vacuuming, etc.
- M's help with spraying the garden
- Getting my spring cleaning done in record time!
Do you grow potatoes? If so, do you buy seed potatoes or do you plant the potatoes you buy from the grocery store?
I have occasionally planted "shop" potatoes which have sprouted. But had much more success with an inexpensive bag of seed potatoes
ReplyDeleteI wish there is such thing as an "inexpensive bag" of seed potatoes, here, in my area! I've looked! The least inexpensive bag is just under $5 for five seed potatoes from Walmart and I can buy a 10 lb. bag of regular potatoes for the same price at the grocery store when it's not on sale/offer. Seed potatoes from a plant seed company can be bought for just under $9 for the cheapest variety for a 5 lb. bag (plus shipping and handling charges, of course). Vegetable seeds and plants tend to be quite expensive in my area.
DeleteLove that you can now call yourself a potato "farmer". You did pretty good with that one plant! We used to get sand fleas when I lived in FL and they are a mess to deal with. Happy weekend- xo Diana
ReplyDeleteThank you, Diana. I just caught up with your blog posts - I don't always get the notification of new posts. We are trying to get on top of the flea situation before it becomes an infestation.
DeleteI hope you have a lovely weekend. :)
Trying to get rid of fleas is not a fun way to do spring cleaning! Good luck. When we've had them in the house (the neighbor kid brought them in) we eventually had to do flea bombs. I hope yours are gone soon.
ReplyDeleteThe last couple of times I've tried to grow potatoes, I haven't had much luck. I didn't even try this year. You are already having better luck than I had.
Thank you, June; I agree that it is not fun, but, we are not procrastinating, this way! I vacuumed the house, again, today, and vacuumed under the sofa cushions in the living room and daughter sprayed the sofas. I think we discovered them in good time to prevent an infestation. At least, I hope so!
DeleteI am hoping to find more potatoes from the other two plants once I dig them up. :)
I've wondered about growing potatoes. It doesn't seem worth it financially, but it sounds fun! I've been having electrical problems in my house, so I've had to have almost the entire house rewired. I hope you get rid of the fleas a lot cheaper!
ReplyDeleteIt is rather fun to try and grow your own potatoes.
DeleteI'm sorry to hear that you are having to rewire almost the entire house! That is an expensive job! I'm probably going to need some plumbing replaced in the near future, myself!
How lovely to have some fresh potatoes! I hope the rest of them do well, too. Now if only you could find a plant to grow around your yard that would deter fleas!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Bushlady. I'm hoping that there will be more potatoes from the other two plants as well.
DeleteI actually have several plants growing in the garden that are supposed to repel fleas (due to their strong aromas), including rosemary, lemongrass, chrysanthemums, California bay laurel, catnip, and mint. Lavender is another such plant and I had some growing, but, they died out. I might have to plant more of these aromatic plants near the entrances to the house and make a point of crushing their leaves to release more of the oils in their leaves which carry the flea repellent aromas.
I am just reading this and must have missed when Dancer died.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear that. I really enjoyed seeing his photos and listening of his antics. What lovely memories he leaves behind.
Thank you, Sharon. Yes, Dancer went into kidney failure and we decided to put him to sleep on Decemher 10. We do miss him,
DeleteI have always lived in an apartment so I have never had a garden. Your potato harvest is lovely!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Linda. Are you able to grow anything in pots in your apartment?
DeleteThe best way I have found to get rid of the "small pests' is to take a small lamp and place it on the floor without shade at night , place a dish of water with a few drops of dishsoap in it right against the light. The buggers come to the heat of the bulb and fall in the soap and die. I continue the process till I am free of them. I put them in all the rooms. It doesn't take long.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Lisa. Yes, I have placed a dish of soapy water under the nightlight in my bedroom. Daughter bought two flea traps which operate on a similar principle, with a small bulb and a disk of sticky paper under it - we keep one in her bathroom and one in the family room. Currently, we are finding one to two fleas in the sticky paper flea traps, overnight. I have, so far, found only one in the soapy water bowl in my bedroom. I shall get another nightlight and plug it into the outlet in the hallway.
DeleteYeah for free potatoes! That must've been a nice discovery.
ReplyDeleteI have grown potatoes once. My neighbor gave me a few starter potatoes or whatever they're called.
It was a successful endeavor and I did continue to find potatoes in that area for a few more years. lol
Oh gosh. Good luck with the flea abatement. As we discussed, I had this problem years ago and it's not easy to rectify. Keep at it - that's really the only way.
Thank you, Debra. The potatoes were a treat! I believe the other two potato plants are starting to look like they might be ready to be pulled up; I am hoping to find a few more potatoes among their roots. I need to be more purposeful if I am to grow potatoes as a food crop!
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