Potato Harvest/Famine of 2009

Here, in all its glory, is our 2009 potato harvest.

I have planted potatoes before and always been disappointed by the results. This year, encouraged by a friend's success, I used the garbage can method. We purchased a "cute, old-fashioned" galvanized garbage can and placed it in the garden, between the herbs and the teepee of pole beans. We drilled holes in the bottom for drainage and started our organic potato sets in organic garden soil. Then we waited...

The plants grew and we covered them with $7 of organic soil. They grew a bit more and we covered them with $7 of organic soil and so on and so forth. I envisioned the kids helping me to dump the can and root through the beautiful soil searching for a myriad of fingerlings. Organic, new potatoes at hand - soups, gratins, easy roasted sides making meals so fresh and easy.

Last weekend, doing some fall yard cleaning, I was alone in the garden, clearing out squishy yellowed tomatoes and frozen bean vines. I decided I wanted to surprise the family with our potato harvest. I dumped the heavy can to find barely enough potatoes to fill a 6oz. ramekin. Most of them were so tiny, I told everyone I found them in Henry's ears!

When I shared the results with Doug his response was the same as mine. "We're never doing that again!", recalling the many dollars of organic soil now spread atop the bean patch.

Then in true die-hard gardener and food-lover fashion he added, "Well, maybe just one more time."