6# of seed potatoes & 500 onion sets

[Kathy]

I got 6# of seed potatoes(Kennebec & Norlands) and 500 onion sets(mostly yellows for storage) for $8 at the local Orshleins farm supply store yesterday.
The day before I bought 60 sweet Vidalia onion plants at Ace for $2. I love end of the season sales.

I honestly have no idea how many potato plants that will end up making since each potato needs to be cut into 2-3 eye chunks.

With the price of onions & potatoes skyrocketing here and the fact that there's a great cement block building for cold storage right outside my kitchen door-I should have plenty of winter produce with that many potatoes & onion sets .

We won't even talk about the 90 tomato plants, 36 brussel sprout plants & numerous other plants & seeds that I'm working with.
I can't wait for that first fresh veggies from my garden!

[Deleted]

NINETY tomato plants??

And I thought I was crazy! I have 14 and I'm going to have more than I can handle. I hope you have helpers to help with the canning! LOL!

~Lannie

[kyosa]

You are going to be one BUSY gal come canning time with ninety (!!) tomato plants. I'm guessing you'll make a bunch up into sauce as well as canning/freezing?

[Deleted]

Kathy are you crazy? I know you have some property but are you sure you haven't over shot a bit. What is the garden version of, your eyes are bigger than you stomach? LOL!!!! I want to see this garden you plant. I wish you all the luck in the world. May your back and knees hold out for you.

Under it all I'm very envious. I want to begin a new garden and I have the spot picked out. I just don't know if I'll be able to dig it much less plant it.

[Kathy]

It gets even crazier. I counted up the pepper plants this evening-there's 68 plants-sweet hungarian, hot hungarian, jalapeno, cayenne, serrano, yellow bells & green bells plus one larger red savina(worlds hottest pepper). I had to have some of everything to make my blazing multi pepper relish.

Oh and those seed potatoes-there's 2# in each bag not one.

Darryl, I process marinara sauce, chili sauce, pizza sauce, 2 kinds of salsa, regular canned tomatoes, tomatoes with chili's, chili mix & if I can find my old recipe-a creole sauce.
I also dry a lot & freeze some. I'm also going to try making tomato leathers but after they're dried I will freeze them just because it's so humid here.

There's a farmers market not too far from me that only allows veggies grown within 100 miles so any excess veggies that I can't use or share with friends will go to the Saturday morning market.
I just found out they also allow crafts such as soap, candles and sewn items. ;D
Booth space is $10 & includes the use of a table and a canopy.

[Deleted]

Kathy, you could start a mail-order tomato products business! I do love tomatoes, but my little 14-plant patch is about all I can handle by myself. I wish I had time to just can for a week or two, but I just can't seem to manage it. Except for last year, when the damblasted deer ate all the maters (every stinkin' one of em'), I usually end up with enough pints of diced tomatoes to last me through the year, although now I have a juicer, so I'd like to start canning my own V-8 juice. I'll see how it goes this year, and perhaps next year I'll have to start a few more seeds than I usually do. But I don't think I have room for 96! LOL!

~Lannie

[Kathy]

I can pretty much continuously once the produce starts coming in. Not huge amounts at any one time; just one water bath canner full or pressure canner full each night.
There's nothing like going to bed hearing those beautiful 'pings' of jars sealing.

Susan, I think you may be right but I have over 2 acres of land tilled up so that's a lot of space to fill. I have an idea it's like goldfish-the bigger the bowl the more fish you feel like you have to have.

I separated the multiplier onions this morning; boy are there a lot of them! They were here already but they were so root bound-I took the one 30' row of onion clumps and made (3) 30' rows.
It's pretty hot outside right now so I'm taking an indoor break. I replaced all of the old screens with new fiberglass screening yesterday so there's a nice breeze without the bugs today.

The seed potatoes are partially cut for planting. I have about 1/2 done and they're curing.

Time for a glass of iced tea and to kick off my shoes for an hour. ;D I take 2-3pm for me most days-a guilty little pleasure of sitting in front of a fan watching Lifetime tv..

I'm happy to report that my body has finally started to adjust to this work routine-I don't hurt nearly as much as I did the first couple days.