The Winner is... Kennebec

Edging out the La Soda Red by a spud, Kennebec is the production and quality winner in my garden this year.

Back in late January, I prepared equal amounts of red and white seed potatoes and planted them in two - 3 foot by 12 foot garden beds.  I normally target my planting date for President's Day, but this year's warm winter encouraged me to try planting early.

Planting early has it's risks.  Freezing temperatures can zap tender seedlings, but I was prepared with row covers in the event that any freezes swooped in.  Nothing of the sort happened and planting early payed off with an early harvest and large potatoes.

Prepared Seed Potatoes

Seed Potatoes Planted in a Trench

The plants in both beds were "dirted" multiple times and received a similar amounts of water and fertilizer.  "Dirting" means to pile dirt around the stem of the potatoes where the potatoes are produced.  

Since potatoes are formed close to the stem and the soil surface, multiple "dirtings" will produce the most potatoes.  I mound the dirt as high as it will go and add a layer of hay to help hold the dirt and moisture in place.

At the end of March, the potatoes bloomed.  The blooms and plants were soon chewed up pretty badly by hungry caterpillars, but they were pretty while they lasted.

By mid-May the plants are falling over and it's time to harvest.  At this point, the potato plants are stressed by the heat and have been munched on by a variety of insect pests.  They look pretty ratty, but that's okay.  The real magic is taking place underground and I'm hopeful as always that this will be the best crop ever.

Plants Ready for Harvest

When it's time to harvest, my husband and I work together.  We pull up the plants and clear away the foliage.  The potato tubers are attached to the mother plant via a root-like stolon.  I've cleared away a side view for a closer look in the photos below.  Notice how the roots have little hairs, but the stolons attaching to the potatoes are smooth.

Clearing Away Foliage

Stem with Tubers

Tuber Close-up

Potato Stem with Tubers and Stolens

We use a fork to loosen the soil and start hunting through the dirt for potatoes.  It's hard work and when we're done the raised beds are a mess.  The fork may pierce a potato or two despite our best efforts not to.  The potatoes heal over the pierced areas, but it's always best to use damaged potatoes first, since they will have a shortened shelf life. 

Look at what we have to show for all of our hard work!  Must be close to 70 pounds of potatoes.  Stored in paper bags and kept in a cool dark place, these beauties will keep for months.  This is good because it will take a while to eat this many potatoes.  Even with giving some away to family and friends, that's a lot of tater salad.

Pocketful of Sunshine

Growing daisies is like having your own pocketful of sunshine.

Even on a rainy day, somehow this bedraggled pair of Gerbera daisies remind me of a well-worn teddy bear or a flop-eared pup.

There are many daisies and daisy cousins that we can grow in Central Texas with very little effort.  Here are a few blooming in my garden right now.


The Oxeye daisy (Leucanthemum vulgare) is considered a weedy, invasive pest in some U.S. States, but in my garden it's a reliable, drought tolerant perennial.  It reseeds a little, but the volunteers are easy to weed out or save for transplanting.  The plants form a shrubby little mound about a foot tall and the bright, sunny flowers are borne on long stems that reach for the sun.

The Shasta daisy (Chrysanthemum maximum) was introduced by Luther Burbank in the early 1900's.  He started with the Oxeye daisy and cross-pollinated it with other daisies before finally coming up with the perfect daisy.  The numerous white petals and perfect little yellow button centers form the quintessential daisy on precisely upright stems.  Luther knew his stuff.

The Blackfoot daisy (Melampodium leucanthum) is a tough native Texas perennial that doesn't like to be babied.  The daisies might be tiny, but they are tenacious.  Grow the Blackfoot daisy in rock gardens or on edges of hot sunny borders.

The Copper Canyon daisy (Tegetes lemmonii) is a perennial shrub that blooms in the spring and the fall in response to the shortened day length.  This plant can get tall and rangy, so give it some space to spread out.  

Dahlberg daisy (Thymophylla tenuiloba) is a new addition to my garden.  I'm just getting to know this plant, which was recently given to me by Jenny at Rock Rose.  It's diminutive, yellow daisies and fern-like, airy foliage make it an excellent addition to the front of my mixed border.

Four-Nerve daisy (Tetraneuris scaposa) has been in my garden for as long as I can remember.  This is one tough little plant of about 4-6 inches tall.  The little yellow daisies are held up on stems that are almost invisible, giving the flowers the appearance of floating just above the foliage.

The Purple Coneflower (Echinacea purpurea) is a daisy relative that I love.  I haven't always had the best success with this plant, but this year I was rewarded with Coneflower seedling volunteers that I am nursing along until the day I can transplant them to a new spot.

Still flush with my Coneflower success, I recently jumped at the opportunity to buy this unusual orange variety.  I planted it in a sunny bed with a back drop of Bamboo Muhly and common Artemisia just in time to take advantage of the recent rainfall.  

Would you like a pocketful of sunshine on a rainy day?  Plant some daisies.  They're guaranteed to make you smile.

Fountain Garden

In April 2011, my husband and I installed a new disappearing fountain in a space directly behind our house.  The space used to contain a lawn, but a couple of years ago, we cut the lawn space back by half, opening up a good-sized piece of real estate for an ornamental garden.  

The fountain garden was never landscaped, because shortly after it was installed, we entered a terrible drought.  I struggled to keep my existing plants alive.  The idea of planting anything new was not an option.

During winter 2011-2012 something strange happened.  It rained, and it rained and it rained some more.  Finally, on January 25th, we received almost 7 inches of rain in the early morning hours.  This drought breaking rainfall resulted in area wide flash flooding closing roads and the local school district.  Some of my gardens went completely under water.

When the ground dried out, I decided to move forward with landscaping the fountain garden.  I've been steadily adding plants all spring, and the garden is really starting to take shape.  My husband came up with a great idea to use some extra stone we had to edge the beds and the walkway.  

Less than four months has passed since the flood.  That day was definitely a low point for me, but look at it now.  Us gardeners and our gardens sure are a resilient lot.

January 2012

May 2012

Tonka Tour

Did you ever have your very own Tonka truck?  I never did.  I was Tonka deprived as a youth, but I'm making up for it now.  I purchased my very own second-hand Tonka truck and for just a few dollars, I made a very cool toy fit for the most discerning gardener.  Here's my Tonka truck garden just after completion.

After constructing Tonka, I thought, what the heck, let's go for a spin.  First stop, the Chick Inn.  Hmmm... I guess the chicks are out gallivanting. 

I kinda see why 5 years boys like these Tonka trucks.  My Tonka is king of it's little garden world.  Let's cross the bridge and go check out the watermelon patch.

My garden pond doubles as a huge lake in Tonka's world.

Driving a Tonka truck around is exhausting.  I  think it's time to find a place to park, after all, I'm not 5 years old anymore.  I thought this spot next to my new Sharkskin Agave and Bronze Dyckia would be good, but it doesn't really show Tonka off to her best advantage.

Ah, this is perfect.  The yellow pansies really bring out the color in her chassis.  

I hope you'll consider having a little fun with your garden containers.  If a yellow Tonka truck isn't really your style.  Consider this adorable plastic pail potted up with purple Angelonia.

Or, grab an old red wagon and use your imagination.  Do you see a moss covered fairy land or a desert oasis full of cactus?  It's all child's play.  Have fun!

Bye Bye Birdie

I have been witness to an amazing series of events, beginning with finding some eggs and ending with the new baby birds flying off into the world.  

It all began on March 31, 2012, when I noticed a female cardinal had built a nest and laid some eggs in my greenhouse.  I wrote a blog titled Squatter's Rights detailing the discovery.

On Saturday, April 7th, I came home to discover the eggs had hatched.  The two little hatchlings were pinkish-orange and appeared to look like eggs without shells.  I wondered if something had gone wrong.

On day 2, they didn't look like little shell-less eggs anymore, but if it's possible, they looked more pathetic. The momma bird tweeted and fussed at us, and my husband was convinced she was asking for help with her two deformed youngsters.  I must admit that I also wondered if these were normal little babies.

On day 3, it was clear they were getting some hair/feathers on their little pink bodies.  They looked a little less pathetic and I started to think they were probably going to be okay.

On day 4, I could see feathers and wings.  They were moving around a little more, but their large sightless eyes were a little unnerving.

By day 5, they were all wings and definitely growing fast.

On day 6, they looked at me for the first time.  Suddenly one of the babies jumped up thinking I was delivering a meal.  The effort must have been exhausting, because the little tyke immediately plunged back into the nest and went to sleep.

On Day 7, the babies were just chilling waiting for Dad to bring them something tasty.  Dad was right outside the window waiting for me to vamoose.

On Day 8, the babies were suddenly quite shy as they were becoming more in tune with their surroundings.  "I can see you," baby seems to say "but you can't see me."

By day 9, they had the "I'm invisible" routine down to a science.  If it wasn't for those fluffy feathers, they would almost look like nest material.

On day 10, I found an empty nest.  The babies were gone, but Mom and Dad were making a racket.  Something was wrong.

One of the babies was trapped in the greenhouse.  This was our concern from the beginning.  Mom and Dad came and went via a small window, but I wondered how uncoordinated first time flyers would manage to copy their parents exit routine.

The poor little baby was peeping very loudly.  She repeatedly banged into the wall trying to get out while Mom and Dad squawked in panic outside.  I carefully picked up baby and took her outside where she would be closer to her parents.

The little baby could fly a little and immediately made her way into a tree where she was greeted by Mom and Dad.  And, in case you're wondering about the other little baby, my husband finally found him safe and sound on a tree branch. 

They blend into their surroundings amazingly well.  When we left them for the evening, Mom and Dad were trying to corral their young'uns, no doubt trying to get them to a safe spot for the night.  All's well that ends well.  Bye bye baby, I'll miss you.