Lazy Bed

I planted my potatoes under leaf mulch and straw in what is known as a "lazy bed". I filled two beds - 3 rows per bed, ~8" apart. I placed the seed potato chunks, cut side down, about 4-6" apart; pressed them firmly into the soil; layered leaf mulch and then straw on top. Young potatoes should be ready to eat in 8 weeks!

Before planting: I cut my seed potatoes into 1 3/4 - 2 oz pieces, making sure each piece had at least a couple of growth buds (eyes). Then I allowed them to dry at room temperature for 2 -4 days prior to planting.

I ordered 4# each of three potato varieties... Yukon Gold, Red Pontiac, Purple Viking. I puchased them on-line from Gurney's Seed & Nursery Co. I had a few seed potatoes left over, which I gave to Andrew for his garden.

The potatoes will be ready to dig for winter storage when the plant tops begin to dry. The beauty of the lazy bed is the potatoes don't have to be "dug" out of the earth, which decreases the chance of bruising the skin. After picking up tubers, dry 2 -3 hours, then store in a cool, dry, dark, well-ventilated space.

At one end of the cooking greens bed, I planted a spring crop of kale and some rainbow chard. There are also a few lettuce plants in that space that have survived the winter. I left them, anticipating an early salad.

I filled up the salad greens bed with a second planting of arugula, a second planting of spinach, a variety of lettuces, and radishes.