Putting a new spin on giving -

Sprout, Plant and Grow.

The real Mr. Potato head

March was “Food Shelf Awareness” month, but we wanted to extend it.

Keep the giving going… stop in at Main Floral get a free potato as a symbol of giving.

We will be making trips to ACBC Food Shelf in Anoka through the month of April.  Drop off your food donations at…
MAIN FLORAL
115 East Main Street Anoka or visit your local food shelf.

Click Here to RSVP on Facebook

We got to thinking about gardening as a great source for food… and “oh boy” here comes Earth Day. What a great combo…We found these cool tips to share with you.

HOW TO GROW YOUR OWN POTATOES;

Step 1 — Prepare the seed potatoes.  Cut the potato into several 1-inch chunks.  Leave  an “eye” or two on each piece.  New plants will emerge from the eye.  A smaller chunk of potato encourages the plant to get busy and put down its own, strong roots, rather than live off the stored foods in the seed piece.  Air-dry for 24 hours. A tough outer layer can help resist disease.  A light dusting of sulfur powder or Bordeaux mixture can help prevent fungi.  Spuds will be fine without chemical treatments if the soil they’re planted in is dry and warm.  Research the ideal time for planting potatoes in your region.

Step 2 — Prepare the soil.  Work a trowel full of compost into a square foot of soil in a sunny, well-drained area of the garden. The soil should be loose enough for the potato to send down roots easily. Take a piece of seed potato and press it firmly into contact with the soil. Be sure the “eye” faces up.

Step 3 — Build up a 6-inch-deep mound of mulch over the potato.  Oak leaf mold is excellent for mounding.  Straw will also work. Water the mound gently to thoroughly wet the mulch. This will help it hold together.  Keep the mound evenly moist.  As the vines start to peek through the mound, begin feeding them with a half-strength foliar spray.  Use fish-emulsion or seaweed extract once a week until the flowers open, then stop feeding.  Mound additional mulch around the stems each time they’ve grown about 6 more inches.  Potatoes grow at the ends of stolons that the plant puts out wherever the stems are covered with mulch.  In time your plant will have tubers in several sizes within the mound.  If you’d like to let the potatoes mature and get larger, stop watering them after the flowers bloom. This causes the plant to start concentrating on developing the potatoes.

For  more care and harvest information,
read more in this potato planting article.
www.gardengatemagazine.com