I've harvested potatoes from two plants, but overall the plants need more time to mature. The seed potatoes were from Ronniger Potato Farm in Idaho, and are natural - raised using organic methods, but not certified. The purple variety is "Caribe," which is described as "having snow-white flesh that boils, steams, and makes the lightest and fluffiest mashed potatoes." The red variety is "Desiree," a "gourmet-quality potato with creamy yellow flesh." We also have some fingerlings in the ground, but they won't mature until later.
You can tell summer is just around the corner, and in fact today is decidedly muggy. We're still getting lettuce but the arugula is beginning to bolt; it won't last much longer. I'll miss the spicy leaves. My flat-leaf parsley has gone to seed; it does great in the winter but never lasts into the summer. The blackberries are still producing, a few at a time. I'm happy to say our tomatoes are doing MUCH better than last year; they have lots of fruit and look quite healthy, though I'm starting to find tomato hornworms. Though I haven't had the soil tested for it I'm sure we have nematodes, and my attempts to grow heirloom Brandywines last year were stymied by blossom drop. We had all of two fruits from about eight plants, although my husband said they were the best he'd ever tasted. In my detective work later, I found that heirlooms are very susceptible to nematodes, so I've switched, reluctantly, to resistant hybrids this year. I've also added as much compost as I could. The plants have done well so far, but I'm starting to notice some blossom drop even on these. One variety seems to have more than the other. I have some pole beans and squash that are not doing too great either, and I suspect the nematodes in their case as well.
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