Frost! and wishing for a potato recovery
April 8, 2026
potatoes, vegetables | permalink
Well, I knew it was a risk when I planted the potatoes before our last average frost date (April 9th), but I did it anyway. Last night they suffered for my eagerness. It dipped down to 28 and when I was able to check on them early this afternoon the previous foot-tall, healthy stalks were just laying limp on the ground. They had good root systems when they went in, though, so I'm hoping some new growth emerges.
Edit, Apr 10: The rhubarb also got hit, though to a lesser extent and is already pushing up new leaves. It had just started to flower - wonder if it will try again.
Edit, April 16: One potato has new growth.
Last potato and two more red osiers planted
April 1, 2026
potatoes, shrubs, planting log, vegetables | permalink
After giving me daughter ample opportunities to plant the second and last of her potatoes that we started inside, I decided it was time to put it in the ground. So now there are four along the back right side of the right raised bed. All are about a foot tall, and have good root systems.
I also pulled out two of the red osier dogwood cuttings that had roots on them from the jars on the windowsill and put them next to the other two I planted the other day at the edge of the mulched area in the front meadow. So far, deer have not touched the other two, though I won't really be surprised if they get around to eating them sometime soon. I just don't feel like putting up the caging.
As usual for this spring, I sprinkled some mycorrhizal fungi into the hole for each of these three plants before I put them in.
Potatoes planted, blue violets moved
March 29, 2026
planting log, herbaceous, vegetables, potatoes | permalink
Three of the four potatoes my daughter and I started inside are now planted in the back right of the right raised bed. As I was doing that, I also weeded that bed, and moved about 20 blue violets to the front meadow. There, I removed another small piece of sod and put them in its place, then didn't feel like removing any more and so planted the rest on the edge between the grass and mulch. Now about half of that mulched area has a row of blue violets at its border, spaced about two or three inches apart. I hope they fill in well and help to keep back the grass.