A Tale of Two Epic Harvests

Last week we finished harvesting what will probably go down as the best yield of potatoes the farm has had. A big thanks to workshift attendees and our crew for getting all of tubers out of the field! I don't know the total weight harvested just yet but I'm guessing it is around 10,000 pounds. We planted 1,600 pounds in April and a decent average yield would be about 5 lbs harvested for each pound of seed planted. Throughout their time in the soil, the potatoes vigor and health was apparent. They sprouted consistently and uniformly and had the tallest and healthiest foliage we've seen. From the tractor seat while harvesting the amount of the potatoes running through the digger seemed to be more than usual. The harvest was so big that we couldn't even fit them all in their normal home in the barn. Suffice it to say we should all be enjoying potatoes for quite a while. We eat potatoes pretty regularly, almost always cut and roasted at 400 degrees for an hour on a baking sheet lathered in olive oil. They become crispy on the outside, soak up some of the oil, and really melt in your mouth. I never tire of them.

The farm crew also wrapped up the winter squash collection over a long day with a lot of heavy lifting. This crop also performed very well this year. Quite honestly I was close to giving up on growing this crop after 3-4 years of disappointing yields caused by bug, disease, and pest pressure. Each of the past few seasons we tweaked growing methods and continued to trial different types of winter squash and varieties. Quality did not improve. This year we reverted to a more traditional growing technique, covered plants with row cover immediately after planting, and narrowed down the type and varieties of squash, each bred to have powdery mildew tolerance. This year the winter squash was grown at the bottom of a field whose beds used to be incorrectly oriented which resulted in soil easily eroding downhill and probably deposited nutrients there as well. Either way, this season plants were vigorous throughout their life cycle and the retrieved fruits look great. We're hopeful they healed and cured in the field and will be enjoyed in shares for a while.