Pending Potatoes

Taters to go

Last night I got a my potatoes in (late yes - but man it just rains when I want to do things) - and when putting them in - it started raining. I suppose that's good - with all the rice shortages and the fact I'm starting to get used to working in watery conditions - maybe I should plant rice :)
Anyhow - I am 100% Yukon Gold this year- because they taste so good. Two very long rows of them - enough that I would expect to be taking some to the farmers markets later this year.
That said I have seed taters from two sources - Burpee's and Tractor Supply. The Burpee taters cost $17 for a little tinny bag of micro starters - covered with eyes and when cut up and let to sit (like in the picture) for about a week - produced bright green, healthy growth shoots from every single eye on every single cutting.
The other batch of seed from Tractor Supply was a hefty 10# bag for under $1 a pound - much like what you would buy in the grocery store. They had far ewer eyes - the shoots from the eyes after I cut them up were bulky, non-green things that repeatedly had the tips turn black. Sure - the "starter starch" in the size of the cut seed is higher in the TSC potatoes - but the smaller "seed specific" ones from Burpee look much healthier going into the ground. Time will tell as I planted them in different rows.
I did let them sit for about a week after cutting them to ensure they scabbed over completely and to get the shoots going - I read somewhere that once the shoots start there is an enzyme released inside the seed spud that makes them grow faster in the ground and also helps fend off rot.
On other topics around the homestead; it looks like all my asparagus crowns - from both the store and those gifted by my folks - are coming up... every single one of them has at least something above ground now. One peculiar thing is the odd manner that a few of the transplanted crowns have put up large shoots, only to have the shoot grow like a horseshoe right back down towards the ground... up an inch, over an inch, down an inch... I guess asparagus is sensitive to damage and will bend towards it - maybe it's from transplanting...
And on a "sad" note - the rhubarb crown I bought - has rotted in the ground... No worries - they grow more out there :)