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What's Growing in the Garden

I BBQed tonight and had one of my fresh Kennebecks done over the coals. Is it me or is there a difference between store bought potatoes and home grown? Am I biased or it it just the difference between fresh and old stock; kind of like green beans? These tasted more moist and almost buttery. Might be all in my head.

Which brings me to next year. Someone mentioned crop rotation. I don't move my potatoes. I've mentioned my poor soil quality and I when to a lot of trouble to get this tiller-wide row in the loamy shape it's in. What nutrients do potatoes use up in the soil? Cna it be replenished by adding something?

Next year, I'll put in a full 30' row of Kennebecks, maybe more if I amend a longer row.
 
djg said:
I BBQed tonight and had one of my fresh Kennebecks done over the coals. Is it me or is there a difference between store bought potatoes and home grown? Am I biased or it it just the difference between fresh and old stock; kind of like green beans? These tasted more moist and almost buttery. Might be all in my head.

Which brings me to next year. Someone mentioned crop rotation. I don't move my potatoes. I've mentioned my poor soil quality and I when to a lot of trouble to get this tiller-wide row in the loamy shape it's in. What nutrients do potatoes use up in the soil? Cna it be replenished by adding something?

Next year, I'll put in a full 30' row of Kennebecks, maybe more if I amend a longer row.
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Fresh is always better. Tubers are living tissue and undergo constant change unless they have perfect storage conditions. Most changes occur with the starches and water content.

To your question though. Other than nitrogen, potatoes need a lot of potassium (K). If you keep using the 12-12-12 fertilizer, that will provide what you need. I also add pelletized gypsum every year. That helps with calcium nutrition, and also helps with soil structure. I use about a quart volume of gypsum per 20 ft row.
 
trc65 said:
Fresh is always better. Tubers are living tissue and undergo constant change unless they have perfect storage conditions. Most changes occur with the starches and water content.

To your question though. Other than nitrogen, potatoes need a lot of potassium (K). If you keep using the 12-12-12 fertilizer, that will provide what you need. I also add pelletized gypsum every year. That helps with calcium nutrition, and also helps with soil structure. I use about a quart volume of gypsum per 20 ft row.
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So I can just toss my drywall scraps in the row and till it in? No I'm just kidding, couldn't resist. Thanks.
 
djg said:
So I can just toss my drywall scraps in the row and till it in? No I'm just kidding, couldn't resist. Thanks.
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Done that in several gardens. However, I did it with American made drywall. Some of the stuff we have been getting from over seas has been found containing some bad stuff. Since then, I often mix the drywall scraps in with my firewood and burn it. Hoping that kills any of the bad stuff if there is any. Then the ash goes in the lawn were needed.
 
djg said:
So I can just toss my drywall scraps in the row and till it in? No I'm just kidding, couldn't resist. Thanks.
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Mr. Peet said:
Done that in several gardens. However, I did it with American made drywall. Some of the stuff we have been getting from over seas has been found containing some bad stuff. Since then, I often mix the drywall scraps in with my firewood and burn it. Hoping that kills any of the bad stuff if there is any. Then the ash goes in the lawn were needed.
Click to expand...

100% yes you can add drywall to the soil. I'd stick with Mark's recommendation though to stick with domestic.

Many years ago I was peripherally involved with research at Univ of Wisconsin that looked at that specific question. Drywall performed the same as "Fertilizer" gypsum, with one big caveat. Particle size matters and is critical. Crop response was directly related to particle size. Put it through a hammermill and crop response was same as commercial fertilizer grade gypsum. Anything larger and little significant response by the crop. However, over time, with larger particles a soil response with higher available Ca was noted.
 
djg said:
I BBQed tonight and had one of my fresh Kennebecks done over the coals. Is it me or is there a difference between store bought potatoes and home grown? Am I biased or it it just the difference between fresh and old stock; kind of like green beans? These tasted more moist and almost buttery. Might be all in my head.

Which brings me to next year. Someone mentioned crop rotation. I don't move my potatoes. I've mentioned my poor soil quality and I when to a lot of trouble to get this tiller-wide row in the loamy shape it's in. What nutrients do potatoes use up in the soil? Cna it be replenished by adding something?

Next year, I'll put in a full 30' row of Kennebecks, maybe more if I amend a longer row.
Click to expand...
Kennebec is a great potato for baking or roasting. They keep good if you have a good place to store them, mine usually keep all winter and into the spring. Some store bought potatoes are just plain gross, probably due to poor storage and handling after they leave the growers.
 
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djg said:
I BBQed tonight and had one of my fresh Kennebecks done over the coals. Is it me or is there a difference between store bought potatoes and home grown? Am I biased or it it just the difference between fresh and old stock; kind of like green beans? These tasted more moist and almost buttery. Might be all in my head.

Which brings me to next year. Someone mentioned crop rotation. I don't move my potatoes. I've mentioned my poor soil quality and I when to a lot of trouble to get this tiller-wide row in the loamy shape it's in. What nutrients do potatoes use up in the soil? Cna it be replenished by adding something?

Next year, I'll put in a full 30' row of Kennebecks, maybe more if I amend a longer row.
Click to expand...
probably better, but interesting to consider the placebo effect
 
trc65 said:
Assume you use those for dried beans?
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Never have. Snap beans. Wife has canned more than 50 quarts and now I’m giving away surplus.
IMG_1139.webp
sprucegum said:
Interesting but I would never plant a bean named after a snake 😂
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Must be because you have never eaten any of these beans. People at church that I give these to say they are the best they have eaten. Of course most of them are city dwellers and have never eaten green beans that didn’t come from a can.
 
Firewood Potter said:
Never have. Snap beans. Wife has canned more than 50 quarts and now I’m giving away surplus.
View attachment 291227

Must be because you have never eaten any of these beans. People at church that I give these to say they are the best they have eaten. Of course most of them are city dwellers and have never eaten green beans that didn’t come from a can.
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We had our first bean picking Friday night. Wife said the whole row yeilded 12 bean pods. She looked pissed so I limited response to "Sorry".
 
Mr. Peet said:
We had our first bean picking Friday night. Wife said the whole row yeilded 12 bean pods. She looked pissed so I limited response to "Sorry".
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My green beans are looking promising, I've got a few pole beans and four 20' rows of blue lake bush beans. The Japanese Beatles are working the pole beans but not the bush type. It's been a good growing season for vegetables as well as bugs.
 
I raked up pine needles and pine cones today - good to get rid of excess fuel just in case. I have one ponderosa pine (or is lodgepole, I forget - have to look at the needles again). Anyway, that tree can drop some needles. I filled my big trash bin and only picked up about 80%.
 
Firewood Potter said:
Never have. Snap beans. Wife has canned more than 50 quarts and now I’m giving away surplus.
View attachment 291227

Must be because you have never eaten any of these beans. People at church that I give these to say they are the best they have eaten. Of course most of them are city dwellers and have never eaten green beans that didn’t come from a can.
Click to expand...
A whole bushel of beans? And 50 qts canned? Wow, that's a lot. Will there be successive pickings with that type of bean? I'll have to look the up and maybe try them next year. Right now I'm trying a Italian pole pean with little success. Got to look into soil conditions/fertilizer again for next year.
 
Firewood Potter said:
Picked a bushel of Rattlesnake beans, between showers. Started picking a little after 6 this morning. Finished just before 8 this eve.
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A bushel weighs around 25 pounds and if you put 14 hours in and a bushel of snap beans cost around 50 bucks..... well that comes in around $3.50 an hour. And that's just on picking........ Do you hire out? I have some gardening needs tending to.:lol2:

It's like fishing...... can't justify the cost per pound but like fresh vegies, you can't buy that just picked/caught taste in a store.
 
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