Tag: container gardening

Garbage Can Potatoes

Using vague instructions from The New Self-Sufficient Gardener by John Seymour (see page 134), two old garbage bins [well-scrubbed] and seed potatoes from Westcoast Seeds we attempted to grow our own baked potatoes this year.

We were cautioned, via instructions that came with the seed potatoes, to limit irrigation BEFORE we had growth, and I think that ultimately made us overly cautious with watering at all [to the point that we covered the seed potatoes when it rained].  So while we had lots of greenery and we built the soil up every six inches until the plants were about eight inches over the top of the bins, this was our entire haul out of one garbage bin:

The book had prepared [and excited] us for a potentially “heavy crop”. Now, true enough, we had an odd season here – a cold/wet spring followed suddenly by a hot/dry summer, so perhaps that was the limiting factor. We also weren’t too pleased with the new soil we brought in and will probably be investing in more sea soil next year, but, seeing as potatoes can grow in straw, I believe, ultimately, we didn’t water enough early on and then it was too late to reverse the lack of tuber growth.

Mind you, these potatoes tossed in a little olive oil and sea salt, roasted for 30 minutes in a 425°F oven and served with generous application of butter and sour cream were DELICIOUS!

We will be planting more garbage cans next year!

Garden update: all the baby plants

A bunch of little seedlings made their transitions out into the big wide world of the garden this weekend, and I thought, as a collection, they made a sweet, though photo heavy, blog post (I think there are too many commas in that last sentence…).

I requested a cool three-tier wooden pot to house another new round of strawberries this year and Michael built it for me this past Saturday.  I raised these little ones indoors from seed (planted in Jiffy Pellets at the end of February and beginning of March). Baby Strawberries:

We planted three 2-year-old raspberry canes in a container this year and I almost pulled this little guy thinking he was a weed, but no!  This seedling will grow tall and bear fruit next year!  Baby raspberry:

  • Plant: Chemainus Raspberry. *Summer fruiting variety.
  • Canes purchased at: Family Farm in Aldergrove, sourced through Craigslist
  • First planted in: March 2010 (2 year old canes)

We also invested in two 3-year-old blueberry bushes at the same time as we bought the raspberry canes.  I also tried out a mail order gardening service this year and bought this little blueberry:

  • Plant: Top Hat Blueberry
  • Purchased online at: Spring Gardens.  I can’t say I recommend buying online.  It took them over 2 months to ship and the plant cost $18 plus shipping which was way too much for a plant that will most likely need another 3 years to bear fruit (IMHO).
  • First planted in: May 2010

Another first for this year’s garden: artichokes!  We were late getting this out and don’t expect it to flower this year, but you never know!

Last, but not least (seeing as we use frozen rhubarb in our smoothies every morning) and, hopefully, we will be harvesting from this seedling early next Spring! Baby Rhubarb:

So that’s  little glimpse of all our baby plants this Spring!  I am looking forward to getting the remainder of the seedlings (tomatoes, basil, peppers, and multi-squashes) and direct seedings (green beans, mini cucumbers, more carrots and lettuce) out over the next few weeks, if the temperature agrees and, sooner than you think, it will be time to HARVEST!!