There's an expression, "He saved my bacon" meaning that someone got you out of a tight situation or a big problem. Well, Sjoerd saved my bacon with my potatoes. He advised digging a hole at the bottom of the planting trench, and planting the seed potato in the hole, then when needed just fill in the trench. Kind of a flat hilling method! We planted our potatoes according to Sjoerd's method, and just as they were breaking through, we started having torrential rains. Everyone was complaining that their potato plants got washed out. Not ours! We now have the only thriving potato plants on our road. Thank you, Sjoerd, you gardening angel, you!
Ahhh, what a nice experiment... new and worked better than the neighbors experience. too bad for them that lost theirs, though. That is disheartening to do so much work for nothing.
Like Carolyn I am so sorry to hear about your neighbour's misfortune. I think that any gardener knows and feels this, because we have all been there. It is painful and so very sad. I am quite serious when I say that your story got me a wee bit choked-up, Jane. That was an incredibly nice thing to post and your words did indeed make me a little pink-faced well-upity. I am always so deeply appreciative when someone thanks me for a little posting. But you know what--that is exactly what this forum is all about --chatting about garden-related things as well as asking and giving advice or accounts of one's methods and experiences. Personally, I do not participate to get thank you's or honour--I just like to try and help, without giving the idea that my thoughts are the only correct ones on a topic...but when someone then goes and says something so darned nice...well, it just sort of chokes this stoic sort up a bit. It is emotional and yet so very appreciated. Thank you so much Jane. Sniff.
Sjoerd has helped so many of our members and I'm so glad he managed to give you a helping hand too Jane. Ian and I are going to try this method with our seed potatoes this year as the rain has managed to ruin quite a few of our previous crops.
Ah, Sjoerd, you are so kind (not to mention one heck of a gardener!). You are absolutely right--this forum is about garden talk, helping one another, and finding new ways of doing old things. I'll be sharing new potatoes with the folks up and down the road (and gloating--I'm not all that nice!).
Heh, heh, heh--I can just see you now, Jane...... Will you hire a string of floats with a New Orleans band to parade up and down your road?....Perhaps with a group of hired-in people dressed like farmers carrying text-banners on sticks proclaiming your pride? Ending the day with dinner on the grounds where a ceremony will be held and the spuds passed out to the unfortunates.--like the event that took place overseas a little more than 2016 years ago. Or is that all a step too far? I guess just limiting the event to an airplane flying over pulling a message as well as a second one doing loop-d-loop smoke patterns, spelling things you want to say....whilst a pickup with mounted loud speakers rides up and down the road playing a recorded message alternating with music. I wonder what tunes you would choose.
Sjoerd, no parade, no banners, and definitely no dinner on the grounds! I do like the idea of the pick-up truck with music blaring while I deliver potatoes. Perhaps-- Nobody Knows the Tubers I've Seen, and that old favorite, Do the Mashed Potato by Dee Dee Sharp, then a variation of Perry Como's Catch a Falling Potato. Yes, potato harvest time on our road may be very festive!
Gad Jane, you seem to be pretty sure that you will not be hosting any dinner on the grounds...is that because you would have to make and bring all the food yourself? chortle. I am hosting a concert in your honour. This is especially for you: They begin the same, but they are different after the beginning song. chuga chuga choo-choo
Good heavens, I had no idea potatoes were so musical! Josh Selig has a very inventive mind. Thank you for the concert--I may play a couple of those tunes on the truck while I toss potatoes at all and sundry!
Those were really cute! If you play those, Jane, substitute 'big' instead of 'small'. I mean, if your going to rub it in, do it BIG!
