Douglas Alpenstock

Jay Angler wrote:I read somewhere that there are two types of potatoes. Ones that grow tubers spread out but on a mostly single layer - hilling this sort is just to keep the sun off the tubers and won't likely give you more layers of spuds. Other types will grow more vertically in the ground, so they will grow well in a container that you keep adding soil to. Has anyone else read this anywhere? Does anyone know some way of knowing which type of potato you have?

This is absolutely true -- there are determinate and indeterminate potatoes (naturally the same is true of tomatoes).

Determinate potatoes typically finish earlier. They just decide they are done and that's it; the stalks wither and brown. Any variety grown commercially is determinate -- the farmer wants a crop that will finish at a consistent stage and size for harvesting.

Indeterminate potatoes (like my French Fingerlings) keep growing if they have suitable conditions, and can produce a lot more tubers over the season. Sometimes it takes a heavy frost to stop them, which is why I continue to hill deeply late in fall.

paul wheaton wrote:
I have never tried to harvest potatoes in winter.

I asked google and google said

Any potatoes left in the ground would have already frozen solid during the colder months. The freezing process ruptures the potato's cell walls, turning the flesh gray or reddish-brown. When thawed, the potatoes would become a mushy, inedible mess.

An old-timer from Yukon told me that if you take a frozen potato and put it *directly* in boiling water, it cooks up just fine. You can't allow it to thaw.

Well I'm sure the tools exist for a full snapshot.

Asking permission is nice, remarkably old school.

The question is, what's in it for Paul?

Carla Burke wrote:I wish, because with our being on a rock with a cave system (Missouri Ozarks) all around us, it's just not doable.

Pardon me, but are you messing with us? You have the world's largest root cellar under your feet and yet ... ?

Jay Angler wrote:Don't be too envious - the deer and rabbits require Fort Knox to keep them out.

Humans are adaptable omnivores. I imagine that in tough times, an equilibrium would be arranged.

I think that a x10 "shock increase" in food cost would be the minimum for a cultural shift.

I recall the sudden rush on garden seeds during Covid. People were suddenly terrified that supply lines might possibly be vulnerable --OMG, REALLY?! (duh).

Fast forward, I wonder how many of those seeds were planted? How many people kept planting in the following year? One in ten thousand? No, food costs settled down to the new norm (higher) but not enough for a radical shift in behaviour.

Our great-grandparents had complex strategies to grow enough food to feed their large families. Year after year. They saw war and disruption en masse. The fact that we currently exist proves their method. These are the set of tools to keep in your back pocket. My 2c.

Jay Angler wrote: However, there is a huge permaculture trend here as well, along with publicity about how poor Vancouver Island's food security is. A lot of our more recently arrived citizens hail from the Prairies to get away from the snow. They have much more respect for farmers - or often were farmers themselves. The presentation today was *very* food focused and the seniors in the room seemed perfectly happy with that focus. They are also a great number of people on a fixed income who will be watching it erode with inflation.

Excellent! Glad to see a cultural shift. We are always envious when we visit -- we can see that the amount of food that can be grown out there is simply insane.

This database has lasting value. And as we all know, online sites and forums vanish --poof!

It would be interesting to know if a "big snapshot" of this forum could be downloaded and converted to something offline that we humble peasants could read.

EDIT: Late to the party, but the concept is sound.

Jay Angler wrote:I just attended the opening presentation of our local library's new free seed library. The presenter was the coordinator of a not-for-profit local regenerative farm. I kept feeling this is not what the audience needed - they were all people with small back yards or possibly only balconies.

The library manager (I'm on first name basis with her) was wondering at the end what this could be the start of. I suggested to her that considering we are the seniors capital of Canada, that a talk on container veggie gardening might go over well. It wouldn't meet their calorie requirements, but it would boost their nutrition if the focus was on nutrient dense foods like parsley, oregano, mini-tomatoes etc.  She thought that was an awesome suggestion.

I've spent time over the last 30 years on long walks through Vancouver Island (Sidney and Victoria) every spring, and have observed a fair amount of "snootiness" about vegetable gardening. Sort of the echoes of old-school British class snobbery, where only the "lower classes" grow food. The upper crust grow flowers. Personally I find it hilarious, but it appears to be a genuine thing. I don't know if that applies on the mainland.

EDIT: To be clear, the concept is brilliant! I'm just pointing out potential cultural barriers.

M Ljin wrote:I can guess what I’ll be doing…talking all my townspeople’s ears off about how tasty acorns and nettles and wild parsnip and dandelions are even though no one is listening.

Hm! The townies are already massively conditioned to buy subscriptions for access to anything. They have cash but need access to country foods. This could be a business opportunity!