Cry me a river, with a small side of frys

[thistlebloom]

I finally did what I have been putting off for a couple of weeks. I harvested my potatoes yesterday evening.
It was as dreadful as I thought it would be.

The crazy deer ate the tops off several weeks ago, and I figured that would make a difference in the size and amount of tubers I was going to get. It did of course, but not only was that a disappointment, I discovered that a gopher tunneled through 3 of the 7 rows and ate nearly every potato. I found about 2 handfuls of marble sized potatoes he was too full to eat. (Where's that Elmer Fudd with the shotgun smiley?)
I can only blame myself. I was blindsided by the deer, because even though I knew they'd been through they have never touched the potatoes before and I was sure I was safe. But I had observed a gopher mound about 20 feet from the garden one day and never took care of it. Too bad. Too late. I'll be buying crummy potatoes this winter. I only got about 70 pounds for 30(?) pounds planted. Aaargh.

 

[Carol Dee]

 

[Smart Red]

Poor thistlebloom. Now is probably a bad time to relate my potato harvest this year, huh? I had a bed that I raised potatoes in last year. I must have missed a few spuds in there because this week I harvested some of the biggest Yukon Gold spuds! I've never seen any that large in the stores. Several of them look like pink grapefruit in size. The smaller potatoes are the store-sized taters. YUM!

I had planted and harvested some Finn Apple (fingerling) potatoes earlier and they made a good harvest considering the few I planted, but I pulled out more volunteers from that unplanted bed than in the potato bed I planted.

I'm guessing that planting spuds in the fall might not be such a bad idea. This is the second year I've gotten volunteers.

 

[majorcatfish]

i am so sorry

 

[digitS']

Sorry, Thistle'.

For my meager harvest, I have the weather to blame altho the flea beetles punched a lot of holes. Certainly the heat must have had wide-ranging effects. You can claim that excuse.

The potato plant leaves were less than half the size as normal. Otherwise, I'm happy there was so little scab ...

Trying to be positive here.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

I picked a bowl to roast for dinner and when I brought them in and washed them discovered that they are also the ugliest, scabbiest, potatoes I've ever seen. This was a very expensive fail.
DH volunteered to peel them for me, and he recommends pitching the whole bunch and just buying them this year. He's kind of easily grossed out.

Now he's talking about making me raised beds and importing soil....

 

[Nyboy]

Sorry when ever I hear about some ones fail in the vegetable garden, it always makes me think back to the dark age. Fail and you starve, glad for markets.

 

[ninnymary]

What rotten luck! You put in so much work and then that darn gopher has a feast. I feel so bad for you. The upside is that I'm in the same boat as you. I don't have a big potato harvest to brag about. Your husband only needs to make 1 raised bed for them so that's not too much work right?

Mary

 

[thistlebloom]

I like to harvest about 300 pounds, so one raised bed isn't going to be quite enough Mary...

 

[baymule]

Sorry about your potato un-harvest. Gophers are sneaky little devils.