preppin' the potatoes

taking a quick look at bill bird's fledgling potato patch got me thinkin' i might have missed the bus - however, i live at 1850 foot in elevation (he is in the natomas area, so its way closer to sea level) and still at risk of a hard freeze into early may. so planting the spuds is still probably a bit early up here - however, i will risk it in a week or two.

this is the first time i have planted potatoes in over 10 years. the heavier soil in cameron park didnt lend itself to very good potato harvests, but my newly built beds with the fluffy soil is ideal for a huge harvest. i am so looking forward to home grown potatoes - i'm thinking its going to be a great fall.

in the past, i had issues w/ the seed potatoes rotting once planted. my guess is the heavy soil, in cameron park, kept them a bit wetter than optimal - but i think the major contributing factor was i didnt let the potatoes harden off when i cut them in preparation for planting. this year will be different!

this evening, i cut my 'taters and they are in the kitchen drying off on the cut end. according to the the potato flier i received from the frontyard nursery, it suggests that you should treat the cut ends with sulphur or at least let it dry for a day - prior to planting. not having sulphur handy, i chose the latter. these spuds will be set aside for a week before planting.