OK I have accomplished a couple of things. I ordered my pine straw mulch. I use that on woodland and shade garden beds that don’t have native conifers and our acid loving beds. i’ve written before how I like the way it looks all fluffy and natural. Everything else gets wood chips that are chipped from our trees.

But I also started my potatoes a few days ago. They arrived, and I sent them to grow their little nubby stubby stems. It’s called chitting.

So they are in a garden tray and once they grow out enough, they will go into pots because I plant mine in big pots. I put them all the way at the bottom of the pot, and then I cover them with soil just enough that they are completely covered it first and as the potato plants grow, I add more soil until eventually it’s the top rim of the pot. I have had very good success, growing potatoes in pots. I just have to make sure that it’s free enough draining soil, etc. last year the potato plants were so happy they actually flowered.

This year I am growing “red gold” and “Nicola.” I ordered them from Gurneys. However, in between the potatoes, I am chitting from Gurneys are some mystery potatoes that came in my vegetable box that didn’t get eaten right away who started to grow eyes. I have done that before and it has worked out fine and added to my potato crop.

In other news, the garlic and shallots I planted last fall is all growing in the greenhouse and in the pots outside of the greenhouse. Now, eventually, they will share their pots with chili peppers I am growing, but they all seem to grow nicely together. The garlic came from Mad River Garlic and Gurneys. The shallots came from Gurneys.

I like to point out that, although I have a big garden, I devote my garden bed space to plants and herbs in the flowerbeds, but there’s not enough room for vegetables so the vegetables I grow, I grow in pots.. I do grow white, red, and black currants and their bushes along with a couple of blueberry and gooseberry bushes are right in with the other shrubs and flowers. I like to point out that I grow vegetables in pots because if you are short on space, you can grow them that way.

Happy gardening!