staked out

i stopped off at the community garden after work today to see what was what and found a few things going on...some of the asparagus that was left too late to harvest has gotten to about four feet in height and the weaker stalks are beginning to collapse under their own weight ( first photo )...so i got some stakes out of my truck and lent them some support ( second )...there were harvestable spears ( third, fourth and seventh ) as well as new growth (fifth and sixth)...with the roots being fed and the plants dressed with compost there may be a lengthened season...over in my bed there are now three red potatoes up ( eighth ninth and tenth )...as usual the yukon golds are taking their time..i also have a robust colony of jerusalem artichokes going ( eleventh ) this is in a bed...imagine what they are like when the are turned loose...finally the garlic is thriving...another forty-five or fifty days to its finish..i will be planting some spuds and maybe a few surprises in my bed as may rolls into view...season's just getting started.

cut and callus german butterball potatoes

the german butterball potatoes are well sprouted and ready to cut and callus...i took a sharp paring knife and cut the spuds into pieces of around an ounce in weight ( usually a bit more ) with a couple of "eyes" on each piece...then i put hem in an open box to expose them to the air to callus the cuts...this provides the cut pieces with some protection against viruses and pests when they are planted...there hasn't been any precipitation for a few days and the soil should be dry enough that fungus shouldn't be an issue ( the potatoes ellen and i planted in the garden last saturday were "drops"...potatoes under two ounces that are planted whole...no callusing needed )these, along with a couple of mashua tubers, will complete the planting in this particular bed until we intercrop new zealand white clover as a green manure after the tubers are well established...five potatoes will yield ( if everything goes well ) fifteen plants...nine in the iuncg and six in the pgp and we will induce those plants to produce as many tubers as possible by "hilling" them relentlessly as they grow..mor eon this and the equally relentless jerusalem artichokes in a post tomorrow.