Six on Saturday-March 24

Saturday again?!?  And snow again!  Although we are once again snow-covered, my thoughts are still centered upon the garden and preparations are well-underway, although in somewhat of a holding pattern until Mother Nature wins over Old Man Winter.  First on the agenda is the sweet potato, which has FINALLY decided to sprout!  Although put in water on Feb. 4th, it refused to grow.    It was labeled “organic” but I suspect it was treated to prevent sprouting.  Last week, I scrubbed it with a rough washcloth dipped in hot water, and then draped a warm damp cloth over it for several hours.  Just a few days later, tiny sprouts began to emerge.  Normally I would be fretting that it’s so late, but with the super slow arrival of Spring, it may work out fine.  Since I couldn’t actually get into the garden, I did the next best thing…retail therapy.  I returned to the Amish seed store because they had just stocked seed potatoes.      I’d planned to purchase “French Fingerling” potatoes, because a potager should have a few French items, and because this variety is supposedly delicious.  Also, it is especially good in potato grow bags because it is highly productive over a long period.  I’ll just open the harvest door on the bag and remove the number I need, and let the plants continue to grow.  The potatoes are long and narrow, with a reddish-rose skin and often rose splotched interiors.  That’s what I went to purchase, but impulse-buying caught hold and I also picked up a bag of “German Butterball.”    I know, they look pink in the photo, but they are actually a brownish gold, and are similar to “Yukon Gold.”  I picked them because they are a bit later than the French Fingerlings, and reputed to be good keepers.  I’ll have to grow them in large pots in the seldom used paths because there is no space left in the plan, but that will be a new procedure for me, so it will be fun.   Then I happened to stroll by a display of onion plants, and saw this bundle of “Candy” onions.    I’ve read rave reviews on its outstanding qualities, and D loves a sweet onion, so I’ll give them a go.  Not sure where they will fit on the plan, but I’ll tuck some here and there.  I should have just closed my eyes and asked someone to lead me to the door, but I glimpsed asparagus roots.    I left a small patch when I sold the farm, and have missed plucking those first stems and eating them right there in the garden.  Not a clue where these 10 “Jersey Giants” will go, but I bought 10 bags of cow manure on the way home to give them a good start.  Maybe they’ll go at the end of the Cutting Garden, with a fence so D won’t mow them off?  But until the snow melts and the ground is dig-able, they’ll remain in their plastic bag in the cool garage.    And lastly, the first of the next group of amaryllis is just about to open which will add more color to my life.  I must admit….I’m really getting tired of WHITE!  Hopefully by next Saturday, I can report a plethora of planting progress in the potager!

As always, a big thanks to The Propagator for hosting this meme.  It’s a fun one, so join in!  You can view all the “Six” contributors at his blog by clicking on the link.