Ducks ALIVE in 2025!

[ducks4you]

...more potato growing articles

Pay No Attention to this guy's Asian Pear, which is "satan incarnate" bc it has NO insect predation and spreads into wildlife like crazy!
I cannot find it, BUT, I watched a potato planting article that Should lasagna potato planting, so I did this, 2 layers of potatoes in the same pot.
I can see Why you need to watch and wait for potatoes to start growing from their eyes. Often a package of potatoes will have rotting from potatoes that are going bad but Not sprouting.
The ones I am starting now are some kind of "gold," sort of a generic gold potato, notably we use it for mashed potatoes.

 

[ducks4you]

AAANNNDD, here is everybody's favorite Brit gardener, Benedict, at Grow Veg

The Team Behind GrowVeg

Meet the people behind the best garden planning software on the web. The GrowVeg.com team have a wealth of gardening expertise to help you plan the perfect vegetable garden.

www.growveg.com

on growing potatoes:

 

[ducks4you]

Here is one/MANY, MANY winter sowing articles I have read, or watched youtube videos on this subject. DH and I are both using CPAP machines, so we have a collection of used distilled water containers, no need to clean Them out before use.
I carefully save and then toss them down the basement stairs, easier than carrying, then collect until I start using them, HOPEFULLY, this week.
Here is a nice video, aGain with Benedict, which explains how to do this:

 

[Shades-of-Oregon]

@ducks4you We have a collection of distilled water bottles from pap use too. I am sorry that happened for you both. My DH had one for many years. I have distilled water bottles not only from that but I only use distilled water for my orchard’s. Our well water is not good for orchids even with filters.

 

[ducks4you]

It is what it is. I am told that I am sleeping better, so thank God for technology!
Meanwhile, back to the gardening, I Don't have to clean these jugs out in order to use them.
LOTS of uses, including tying them up to plant supports with fork holes on the bottom for drip irrigation.

 

[ducks4you]

Last year I stored some sweet potatoes in the same cabinet as onions and they sprouted.

 

[ducks4you]

They grew some leaves, I was encouraged, so I planted them in some soil in an aluminum disposable pan, on top of a heat mat and under a gro light with a dome. I didn't see much action, so I turned Off the gro light and heat mat, thinking that I would dispose of them soon in my composter.
THEN, I took a look a few weeks later and they were growing. By today they had really taken off. I transplanted the mat of roots into my really big plastic pot and put it by the south window on the "old kitchen counter" in the basement. Since cats digging is a problem, I put in an old tomato cage and covered it with big shopping bag. It doesn't fit snug, but it should help keeping it from drying out.
This is what they looked like today. If you look sharp in the first photo you can see one trying to escape through the dome vent hole.
Of Course, it's way to cold to put the pot outside right now, but, by the end of May I can decide where it should go.
These are grocery store sweet potatoes, btw.

 

[ducks4you]

I also started store bought "some variation of yukon gold" potatoes where almost the entire bag was sprouting.
One of the three pots was started one week ago, and the other two were planted today. Two of the black pots have drainage, and other does not so when I put the white plastic biodegradeable garbage bags on top, I made sure to poke several vent holes on the pot without drainage.
They are sitting in front of a west facing basement window where there is no draft. I'll check on them weekly to see how they are doing.
I am thinking of moving these three pots of potatoes outside around Easter and they can sit on the south side of the house, on the stones in the bed close to the water faucets.
I am tired of poking and cutting through potatoes when I harvest. I really think that I will enjoy this harvest, which should be around the 4th of July.
I didn't bother removing extra eyes bc I like smaller potatoes.
These potatoes are great for baking and mashing.

 

[Rhodie Ranch]

I was reading the article about the dairy cattle going to retail beef.

As Dir of Purchasing (17 years) for a large sandwich shop chain (started on West Coast), I bought millions of pounds of retired Mama's, as I told our franchisees. My spec was older Good grade beef, in order for the manufacturer/processor to make our Pastrami. We used the navel of the old cow/steer.

Our Roast Beef was cap off Top Round, again made with older animals.

Both processes of low, slow, long cooking ensured a wonderful tender product from the processor.