Monday, May 11 was the first major plant-out of potatoes (about 75% were planted, next week the remainder will be planted...the order has yet to come in from Irish Eyes in WA). In total, 1600 row feet of potatoes were planted, or 8 rows. The farm gets the bulk of its seed potatoes from Wood Prairie Farm in Maine. All are certified organic. I think the farm is growing a nice mix of potatoes this season. Varieties include: Onaway, Yukon Gold, Red Cloud, Rose Gold, Russian Banana (a fingerling), and All Blue as well as German Butterball (from Irish Eyes). Here are a couple photos...

For gardeners out there who have never planted potatoes, here are some basic steps: 1. Cut potatoes larger than 4 ounces in two or three pieces. Ideally, each piece should weigh at least 2 oz. and have a couple eyes. Potatoes that are 2-3 oz. in size can simply be planted whole (called a single-drop). 2. Place potato pieces/whole potatoes in a 6" deep furrow, 12-18" apart. Make sure that eyes are facing upwards on cut pieces. 3. Cover potatoes with soil and water. 4. Hill-up potatoes with soil when plants are 4-8 inches tall after a few weeks, covering a large portion of the plant stems. Continue hilling for another month or so...after 3-4 months after planting, harvest with digging fork! Also, watch out for potato beetles! Kill' em if you see 'em.

In other farm news, early tomatoes will be going out tomorrow, May 14. They will be covered with Reemay (a thin fabric) for an extra 4 degrees of frost protection just in case!