Some people who are following this blog have been “chitting” potatoes to increase their storage of solar energy and make their sprouts tougher prior to planting. This post covers how to plant your potatoes. If you’ve got some potatoes that are eager to get in the ground, here’s a simple method that yields good results. (As with all gardening techniques, there are about as many ways to plant potatoes as there are potato varieties – and that’s a lot! What follows is just one way that we’ve found works …

The Alpine Park was established in the 1960′s by local residents. It is maintained entirely through the efforts of volunteers. Come and meet your “neighbors” and share in the fun of caring for this little park gem. We’ll be weeding, pruning, raking and making the park beautiful in time for Memorial Day weekend when visitors come and pay their respects at the Alpine Cemetery up the hill. After the work is done we’ll have a potluck picnic lunch for those who want to enjoy each others company …

Here in the Willamette Valley we went from an absolutely beautiful run of weather in mid-to-late February which was then followed by weeks and weeks of (mostly) rain. Both garden sites are lowlands that soak up a lot of water in the winter and take awhile to drain in the spring. The Monroe plot is yet to be tilled but fortunately Chris built some raised beds in the Alpine garden just before the rains set in.

Why grow your own potatoes when they’re still relatively cheap at the grocery store? Well for one thing, potatoes are one of those veggies that are good to eat organic and buying them organic can be expensive. Also, they’re fun to grow. This article will tell you how you can turn that scary tangle of sprouting potatoes under your sink, into a meal (or ten!) next fall.