Potato Turnover

Potato digging time! A little later than last year, but then again there was a good bit of rain last week that hopefully helped plump up the tubers.

This spring I planted two different varieties. I planted Yukon Golds again, with potatoes from last year's crop that had sprouted in storage. I also tried a new variety called "Adirondack Blue."

Adirondack Blue

Yukon Gold

This year I also waited a little longer to dig, waiting for the vines to die off more than in past years. I was hoping I would have larger, and more uniform, tubers. At this point about half of the leaves have died off.

Dying back

A quick reminder, potatoes need to be "hilled" about the time the flowers start appearing. This is because the tubers tend to form close to the surface, and exposure to light will make the potatoes turn green. I spent many a summer day hilling potatoes by hand with a hoe when I was growing up, and it's pretty easy when you can pull soil up from either side of the plant. In raised beds however I have to improvise - so I just dump a layer of soil mix around the base of the plants. It works for keeping the tubers green-free, but it makes for a mess when it comes time to dig. I need to be careful that I don't spill soil (too much) out of the bed and onto the mulched paths around the beds.

Digging carefully

Two other challenges with digging potatoes. First, I need to keep turning the soil several times to make sure I unearth all of the tubers. When I was digging for the Adirondacks I went through the row three times before I was confident I found everything. With the Yukons, the tubers tended to be on the periphery, so I was having to dig vertically along the boards and right up underneath the kale to make sure I found everything. I'm not ready to pull out the kale yet, which created the second challenge of digging close without disturbing those roots (much).

After digging I need to spread them out on the rubber floor mats in the barn aisle. This helps the residual dirt to dry and fall off and the skins to harden up a bit before storage. I grouped the taters by variety to compare the yield. Here's the results:

At the top are the Adirondack Blues, which are really more purple in color. The five foot row didn't yield much in terms of number, but the size of the tubers is more uniform.

The huge pile is the Yukon Golds. Lots of variation in size, but also a huge number. Not bad for a seven foot row.

And that little pile off to the upper right? Those are Dakota Pearls! I had planted Dakotas last fall in the same place I planted the Yukons this spring. Apparently I wasn't very good about sifting through all of the soil to find the little tubers because there were a few volunteers that came up this spring. They were easy to spot when I started digging because the vines were smaller and more upright, not as aged as the Yukon vines. When I dug up the Dakotas they were just as the name implies - very round and obviously white (though they look dirty/gray in the photo above).

Now, you are probably wondering of the Adirondacks are really purple all the way through. A quick peek inside (thanks to accidentally stabbing one with the garden spade) reveals the answer:

Speaking of accidental stabbing, here's tonight's dinner! Once the skin is broken the potatoes don't store well. They will be the first to be eaten.

Anyone else think Minions and Umpa Lumpas when they see these?

And yes, they retain their color through cooking!

FYI, my favorite prep on these is roast them in the oven with the skins on. Cut into bite-size pieces, toss in olive oil, add Kosher salt and black pepper to taste. Spread on a baking sheet in a single layer and bake at 400 degrees for 20-25 minutes, shaking the pan about half-way through to loosen.

Now, for the turnover part of this post. What am I going to put back in this spot?

I'm a big fan of rotating crops to help control pests. But the soil is also nice and loose. And now that we are coming into summer I'm limited in what plants I can start now that can tolerate the 90 degree temperatures we will have by next week. Sweet potatoes fit the bill.

The kale will provide some shade while the vines get established. After last year's adventures, with vines spilling out of the tub and rooting into the surrounding mulch, I think this bed will have more than enough space for redirecting the vines and getting the tubers to develop in a more suitable medium.

As for the rotation, yes these are both potatoes but they are from different botanical families. Irish potatoes are from the nightshade family, as are tomatoes, eggplant and bell peppers. Switching things up with sweet potatoes, which are from the morning glory family, will create a crop rotation.