August August

Thank you, August, for being so kind so far! We're already halfway through the month and haven't suffered a 90-degree day yet. Humidity has also mostly been low and tolerable. Rainfall has been moderate and quickly absorbed, allowing us to stay on schedule with transplanting and harvesting. This is one of my favorite times of the year.

Last week we embarked on the potato harvest, finishing Yukon Gem on Wednesday, with the help of CSA members. This is the variety that ripened first for us this year. We are growing four varieties over almost 10,000 bed feet. Four hundred pounds of seed potatoes were planted for each variety. Because the seed potatoes vary in size quite considerably, the amount of feet devoted to each variety is different. Yukon Gem yielded approximately 1,700 pounds total from those 400 pounds, which is not a stellar yield but good enough for us. Dormant seed potatoes were planted in mid-April, or around the time dandelion blooms. From the 'eyes' of the potatoes grow shoots that turn into foliage that looks similar to tomato plants. The seed potato breaks down and decomposes in the soil while new roots/tubers develop around it. When these are mature the foliage begins to die back. Fragile 'new' potatoes can be harvested at this stage, but we like to wait a few more weeks while the potatoes' skins thicken and allow for longer storage potential. Next up, hopefully this coming week, will be Dark Red Norland, a red-skinned white-fleshed variety.