tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post6624051938216745583..comments2023-06-23T00:44:56.058-07:00Comments on Sinfonian's Garden Adventure: March 21, 2008Sinfonianhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03973076975622726383noreply@blogger.comBlogger8125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-87838862101666558192008-03-21T15:52:57.000-07:002008-03-21T15:52:57.000-07:00Huh, guess it was getting kind of chilly in town a...Huh, guess it was getting kind of chilly in town after all. Anyway, just wanted to say... March is a hard time to grow, as things are so cold and slow. You'll be all abuzz in May-July; things happen FAST then!YC/toastyhttp://www.livejournal.com/~sproutlingsnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-14439309522935304682008-03-22T00:39:28.000-07:002008-03-22T00:39:28.000-07:00"March is a hart time to grow, as things are ..."March is a hart time to grow, as things are so cold and slow." <br><br>But I guess that doesn't mean not to plant in March. The cool-weather crops just do their thing and wait for the right time, right? That's central to the Winter Sowing technique I've been interested in since Alberta suggested it.<br><br>So what you're saying Toasty, is to hang in there and don't worry, because May-July will be superfast? Hehe, I've got Little Einsteins on for the kids, next I'll be saying moderato. hehe<br><br>Thanks Toasty, you're a great benchmark for my novice garden. I appreciate the help and camaraderie.adminnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-28373268424270365522008-03-22T01:04:48.000-07:002008-03-22T01:04:48.000-07:00I think you're a bit too early with the potato...I think you're a bit too early with the potatoes. Although they are cool weather crops, they are not frost hardy like lettuce or radishes. I live a bit south of Portland, OR and it was 26 degrees last night and our last frost last year was on May 2nd. I'm guessing in Seattle it's cooler during the day than here, but not as cold at night.<br>Instead of planting the potatoes now, I strongly suggest that you 'chit' them. That is, place them in a cool, brightly lit location (not direct sun) in your house for a month. They will sprout just fine, faster than in your garden. Then, after the frost threat is over, you carefully plant the potatoes in your garden, slicing pieces in half as necessary. I like this method cuz you can see which eyes have sprouted as you plant them. Handle carefully as sprouts will be brittle and easily broken.<br>Large scale potato farmers would do this if they could, but handling the sprouted potatoes so carefully on a large scale is not practical for them, but it is for the home gardener.<br>Even doing this, I feel it's still to early to start the chitting process where I live. A month from now I will still be expecting mild frosts.Tim Stoehrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-68500132348445708342008-03-22T06:42:04.000-07:002008-03-22T06:42:04.000-07:00"...that doesn’t mean not to plant in March. ..."...that doesn’t mean not to plant in March. The cool-weather crops just do their thing and wait for the right time, right? ... hang in there and don’t worry, because May-July will be superfast?"<br><br>Yup, pretty much. I think that's what a lot of sites hint at when they say the later-planted catch up with the earlier-planted.YC/toastyhttp://sproutlings.livejournal.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-69266330255474543402008-03-24T03:44:22.000-07:002008-03-24T03:44:22.000-07:00Potatoes planted too early may sprout nicely but a...Potatoes planted too early may sprout nicely but a frost will kill them back to the ground, reducing the seed potatoe's viability.Tim Stoehrnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-55581248291096578312008-03-24T12:33:07.000-07:002008-03-24T12:33:07.000-07:00Hmm, thanks both of you. I think I may plant this ...Hmm, thanks both of you. I think I may plant this weekend anyway because I want new potatoes sooner rather than later, but I think I'll get a cover for it to protect from frost. Just a thought.adminnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-85496553136924748572008-03-26T07:57:06.000-07:002008-03-26T07:57:06.000-07:00Hi there - Your garden looks good. I just started ...Hi there - Your garden looks good. I just started squarefoot gardening last year in Portland, Or. I am interested planting potatoes and was looking for square foot potato sucess stories. - I was planning on throwing them into the ground around mid-april. I threw a few sprouted potatoes from the kitchen into the garden last year around June(?) and pulled up some very small but very tasty potatoes later in the year. I'm going to try and to it right this year -- I'm dedicating 8-12 squares to potatoes. Do you know how to space them? good luck and happy gardening.knorqhttp://knorq.wordpress.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-872247640329823856.post-50848211308669776742008-03-26T11:10:47.000-07:002008-03-26T11:10:47.000-07:00Knorq, great to hear from you! I love Portland alm...Knorq, great to hear from you! I love Portland almost as much as Seattle. They are such similar cities yet have their own unique personalities. Glad to hear you too are starting SFG this year. <br><br>I can't offer a success story planting potatoes as I've never tried it yet. This will be my first year planting anything. That said, I would encourage you go check out my Build-As-You-Grow page. Initially, the bins were to be used in conjunction with raised beds. I just ran out of room so I adapted them to work without raised beds to set on/in. <br><br>With these bins, you can go from an average of 2.8 pounds per SF in a SFG bed at 1 seed potato per SF (there's your spacing answer), to an average of 50 pounds per SF with my bins. Plus you can grow so many more veggies and flowers in the rest of the bed that the 2SF bin didn't take up. It's a win/win situation. There's my biased opinion for you.adminnoreply@blogger.com