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Oops!

  • January 19, 2015
  • 5 comments
  • 14 views
  • Rory

Potatoes sprouting inside box

A few days ago one of Becca’s friends was visiting and asking a lot of questions about getting a new garden going this summer. Becca told her she would undoubtedly make a lot of mistakes but the important thing is to try, and keep learning.

Well, I’m still learning and still making plenty of mistakes. This week we discovered our potatoes had begun to sprout in the basement. We hauled in over 120 lbs of potatoes last fall, but sadly only went through a quarter of them before discovering this box. I figured they could easily last the winter if I sealed out the light. After all, how did the farmers of yore keep a seed crop until the following spring? But it turns out potatoes only keep about 2-3 months, even under optimum conditions.

This morning I discovered that the last box of potatoes had sprouted so vigorously the vines pushed the lid a few inches off the top!

Red norland potatoes sprouting  pushing up lid

Full sprouts out of red norland

Oh well. I guess next year there will be plenty of leftover Thanksgiving mashed potatoes.

 

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Rory

Rory Groves moved his family from the city to the country several years ago to begin the journey towards a more durable way of life. Rory and his wife Becca now reside in southern Minnesota where they farm, raise livestock, host workshops, and homeschool their six children. He is the author of Durable Trades: Family-Centered Economies That Have Stood the Test of Time.

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5 comments
  1. Marlene Groves says:
    January 19, 2015 at 7:30 pm

    That is soooo funny! Sorry!

    Reply
  2. John says:
    January 20, 2015 at 7:48 am

    Gosh, darn it!

    Reply
  3. elizabeth johnson says:
    February 1, 2015 at 6:22 pm

    I guess that things such as potatoes, onions, and onions need about 45 F degrees to really store well. Nevertheless, as I find one sprouted potato after another, I run it down to the winter garden and sow immediately! We’re thinking of putting a twenty or forty foot long storage box underground as a root cellar in an effort to achieve property storage temperature.

    Reply
    1. elizabeth johnson says:
      February 1, 2015 at 6:23 pm

      potatoes, onions, and apples! that is.

      Reply
    2. Avatar photo Rory says:
      February 1, 2015 at 9:07 pm

      That makes sense, but up here the ground is frozen down to 48 inches in winter! A proper cold cellar is certainly in order.

      Reply

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