Wednesday, December 18, 2013

more leaves, true leaves

the wild potatoes and quinoa are well up and running now so i took the clear plastic lid off the starter box because the potatoes were beginning to get a bit "leggy"...exposing them to conditions as they exist in the house and to natural light in the day has done some good...the wild potatoes ( top two photos ) have slowed their growth and almost all the plants have begun to develop a third leaf...feed the roots, slow the verticality...i want tubers...meanwhile some of the quinoa plants have shed their seed cases and are developing true leaves...both species are tolerant of cool temperatures ( in the 60s fahrenheit in this household ) and they aren't water guzzlers so a low humidity won't be a problem as long as i keep on top of the moisture level in the peat...soon enough i will be thinning the quinoa and then i am uncertain about events...it grows to between three and six feet tall with a root system as deep as the plant is tall...if i pot it for the duration of the winter the roots will surely be pot-bound by spring...a chance we will have to take i imagine...so far so good in my first experience with either plant...of the two quinoa is the much easier one to find information on...few people seem interested in growing wild potatoes...i've found a few but i am mostly wo9rking from experience with domesticated potatoes...with luck their behaviors aren't radically different...if they are it will be empirical data to add to the pile...and a few posts as well..more as things progress.

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