Spuds in a Tub

Well, not a tub exactly, but the top half of a composter that didn’t work very well. Since I’m dating a man who doesn’t eat vegetables, except for, as he puts it “the noble root crop” I’m growing spuds this year. I tried them once before and they didn’t work particularly well — mostly because I don’t think I watered them enough. Also, they take up a lot of space — so this year I thought I’d try containment spuds — the bottom of this thing is open, so perhaps they’re rooting their way down into the stony ground (this is a kind of no-mans land part of the garden). These are some Carolas and German Butterballs that I got from my milk lady last year and that sprouted before I could eat them — so I stuck them in a paper bag and waited for spring. This really couldn’t have been easier. I put about a wheelbarrowful of compost in the bottom, stuck the spuds in, and covered them with old straw. And voila! They’re going great gangbusters (as my grandmother would say). I looked at them yesterday and they’re flowering, so here’s hoping that in another few weeks we’ll have delicous new potatoes …