huge waste, angry at myself

[weliveintheforest]

I didn't get my potatoes all dug up before the ground froze. Partly laziness, partly lack of storage space. Anyway, for some reason I thought they would be fine to winter over like carrots.... definitely not fine It's all thawed now and I went to dig them up and they are all soggy and ruined.

I learned my lesson, but it was an expensive one. There is a lot out there still, probably a couple hundred pounds.

[JamieCatheryn]

Oh that sucks, sorry to hear you lost them. I've never grown potatoes but I remember reading in Farmer Boy about the boy and his dad hurrying to dig up the potatoes late into the night to beat the freeze. He got hungry so they made a fire and baked a couple potatoes in it and one exploded and burned him. Amazing crop of them too, hundred of pounds? You'll get them next year though.

[Ruthiegirl]

Oh, that stinks. What a rough way to learn a gardening lesson. But yes, potatoes are a tender crop.

Other root veggies can take cold temps and even improve in taste with freezing weather -- carrots and beets do well in my garden when I leave them out for the winter. But the potatoes have to be dug before the first hard freeze of winter.

[lmonter]

But. They might resprout for you this year - so you could potentially have all your potatoes planted and ready to grow for the year. Right? (lemons out of lemonade and all)

[Rhiannon Feimorgan]

I'm willing to bet a lot of them will sprout and they've defiantly put a lot of organic matter into the soil so it won't be a complete loss.

[weliveintheforest]

I hope they do sprout, it would certainly save all the effort of planting again this year. The soil where the potatoes are is very rocky and not fun to dig.

[WorldsBestMom]

Ohh that is really disappointing. I think I would be mad too However don't be to hard on yourself you are now an experience gardener, so at least you know what to do and what to expect next time.

[BfBobby]

Originally Posted by Rhiannon Feimorgan

I'm willing to bet a lot of them will sprout and they've defiantly put a lot of organic matter into the soil so it won't be a complete loss.

SOrry you lost your crop though, that sucks.