My Cold and Sickly Sweet Potatoes

The sweet potatoes were looking sickly after a week of semi-cold weather... they developed small black dots on the leaves, then shriveled and died ... story of my life, lately. Really not surprising since potatoes only grow when it's warm for 4 months (yeah, I know my experiment isn't looking too promising).



I was devastated I had to throw them away because they developed such a beautiful root system... what a waste.



Just wait, bear with me... Luckily, I had more slips available on my momma potato, so I planted those in the same pot, brought them inside, and set them next to a warm window in our empty guest room. I'll keep you updated on what happens next... hopefully, I'll have some good news.

My asparagus plant slowly took over the entire veggie bed this summer. Even though the season is coming to a close, I decided to trellis them, so they didn't look too unruly. I stuck dowels in the dirt approximately 10 inches apart and secured them with twine. Much better, I think...now I can plant some lettuce around them. What a concept...



I started my very first compost pile in September. I filled it with banana peels, paper scraps, corn husks and anything else worth decomposing. I added a sprinkle of compost activator, a little water, closed the lid and let it mellow for two and a half months. Well, I should have given it a little more love, by adding daily coffee grounds and apple peels. When I opened it up last Wednesday, it was too dry, and not a whole lot of decomposing had occurred. So, I added some shredded paper, a little more water, some more compost activator, a little soil from my raised beds, and gave it a good toss. I have finally started a daily offering bag in my pantry (a little food for my future plant food), so my compost will, hopefully, start doing... well... something. More to come in later weeks...



Even though all my veggie loves are vanishing before my eyes, I'm looking forward to next year's growing season. Hank has apparently solved our vole problem, so I think it will be extremely successful. The beginning of the new year means brightly colored seed catalogs magically show up at my doorstep. As I sit down with a sharpie and a cup of coffee, I can't help fantasizing about salads with radishes, bell peppers, and tomatoes grown 30 feet away in a place called home.