Potato tower results

The potato tower was a failure.  I had beautiful yummy potatoes from those planted into the ground, but nothing in the tower when I dug it up.  As I went back and looked at the instructions, I see I have the wrong percentages of straw to compost.  But what potatoes we got were worth the effort.  I haven't had such delicious potatoes since those freshly dug Shafter Long Whites 'liberated' from a field this spring!

I planted 1 pound of seed potatoes that I bought from Cameron Park Nursery.  Yukon Golds.  I harvested 11 pounds, so that's a pretty average yield.   I"m going to try the tower again for the fall planting.  I've already ordered more seed potatoes and will get them into the ground in late October......nothing better than oven roasted potatoes that still smell of the dirt!

Mom Always Said To Eat Your Vegetables

Picked the last of the rainbow Swiss Chard.  This is a crop that does very well at this elevation for the winter garden.  I purchased 2 - 6 paks of Bright Lights Swiss Chard from the big box garden store.  We have  enjoyed from these 12 plants all winter and spring.  They were still producing well, but it is in a space in which I want the red bell peppers.

I still have one area, actually 3 square feet, with regular Swiss Chard that I'm going to let remain for the summer.  I'm going to try to plant seeds in between the plants to keep that space going all year long. 

The building up of the potato bed went well.  I took straw and covered the lower leaves of the plants.  They were about 6 inches tall.  Then covered the straw with compost.  Saw this in Sunset Magazine.  This should increase thepotato yield...... when do I harvest potatoes??????????

P.S..... buying a bale of straw was easier said than done!  Went to Lee's Feed in Shingle Springs.  Took the old Jeep for this dirty job.  Needless to say straw ALL OVER that vehicle.  While cleaning it out, straw got out on the driveway... wind came up.... now straw all over our front lawn and the neighbors..... ooooops, sorry guys!