Through a Country Window: Towering III

Towering III: Last Update

November 20, 2015

I finally decided it was time to remove the potato "towers", or cages, from the raised bed. There had been one good frost so far, and the potato plants that had regrown in one tower had succumbed and wilted. After the Big Mistake I had made earlier in the season (see "Towering II"), I really did not know what to expect.

The old fencing cages and the mish-mash of poles holding them up were pulled up and set off to the side. I am not yet sure if I'll use them again.

What I had left were piles of rich compost, holding the mystery of possibilities within. Would I find nothing at all, or would I be surprised by piles of Magic Molly purple potatoes?

I rummaged through the first pile of compost. Then through the next. And the next. I went to get my English spading fork so I could move the stuff around more, as some of it had clumped at the bottom of the piles. I crouched down and rummaged some more.

I checked and checked, and then finally came up with my harvest.

Wait for it ... here it comes ....

Just about to show up ...

... and ... here it is!!

Yes, here it is!

One little Magic Molly purple potato.

Well ... I suppose I could use it. I could slice it up thinly and saute it gently with onions and garlic, then slowly savor every little bite.

Or, I could leave it on the counter top and glance at it now and then as it gradually shrivels over time.

I could tuck it into one of the compost piles (maybe it would even sprout next spring and I could transplant it.)

Or, I could enshrine it somehow.

Whatever I do with it (if anything), it will serve as a reminder of adages such as "If at first you don't succeed, try, try again" and "Learn from your mistakes." Will I try potato towers again? I might. I'll just make sure the material I put in them does not have a speck of green. I'm willing to try it one more time, I think.

Well, besides the lesson, I got something else out of this towering experiment, so it's not a complete waste. I also got four really nice piles of rich compost, which I can spread across the bed to improve it later on, after the surrounding plants are taken out.

In truth, my four raised beds are going to be completely transformed next year. Boards will be removed, and the whole area will be redesigned into an (mostly) herb garden with wandering paths. But, that's a blog post for another time.

For now, I will bolster my ego by reminding myself that I've been very successful at growing a number of other things, like giant Daikon radishes: