Thursday, April 8, 2010

Planting Potatoes

Over the past week, or so, we've spent time cutting up the seed potatoes (getting them ready for planting), and waiting until the ground drid out. Well, the rain finally stopped, the sun came out, and now it's time to plant potatoes.

Alright, Philip, it's 4:00 PM,
and we've got a lot of work to get done before the day is over.

All these potatoes got to be planted - 5 types 350 lbs.

Okay, this is how you drive the tractor...

 
You're doing a great job tilling the ground!

While we were working, a killdeer kept running around us,
calling "killdeer, killdeer". 

It's finally time to start planting the potatoes...

...and it's getting late, so we got to hurry!

Farming is an industry that when something needs done,
there's a small window of opportunity, and it must be done right then.

This planter, which is probably over 50 years old,
is an amazing time saver.

It makes a shallow furrow, drops the potatoes certain distences apart,
and covers them.

We finally finished planting the potatoes around 9:30 p.m.


The potatoes are all in the ground now, where they will stay and grow
until sometime in June, July, or August, when they are harvested.

It's been a good day in the field.

Thank you for your support of our farm!

4 comments:

  1. It is interesting to see this whole process. How many potatoes will grow from each piece of potato you plant?

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  2. I'm glad you enjoyed seeing the process. There's one part of the process, which is very important, that I didn't mention - cutting the potatoes. We usually cut the seed potatoes into 3-5 pieces, so that they'll go further and produce more potatoes (1 piece = 1 plant). Each plant usually produces about 3 large potatoes, and 3-6 smaller ones (approx. 2-3 lbs. each).
    Hope this answers your question.
    ~Jonathan

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  3. "All these potatoes got to be planted..."

    You make it sound like such a privilege for the potatoes. ;-)

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  4. I hadn't thought of that, Carmen. But now that you mention it, those potatoes are very privileged to be able, especially when you consider the alterative - bening eaten!

    ~ Jonathan

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