Wednesday, February 17, 2010

Chitting and Kitty

It's about time to put potatoes in the ground here, once I figure which bed should be potato ground zero. Sitting in a nice sunny windowsill ought to make them sprout up nicely. Of course, potatoes aren't the only thing that likes to bask in the sun.


Caterina and I even lay on the ground in this sun puddle for about 20 minutes today - a rare island of peace and stillness. I've got some way to go before I'm up to housecat level, though.

13 comments:

Dan said...

I wonder who enjoys it more, the cat or the spuds?

kitsapFG said...

My seed potatoes are supposed to arrive on Friday. They will be laid out in indirect sun in the shop to chit for several weeks, before I tackle the planting process. Mine won't have nearly as nice a windowsill to bask in - nor the company of a good cat. However, my cat Sid and I have been known to luxuriate in a pool of sunshine together too. There are some good lessons to be learned from our furry friends.

Mr. H. said...

Yes, I think perhaps the cats have got us all figured out.:) Do you prefer to cut your potatoes or plant them whole?

Jeff Vandiver said...

It's almost potato planting time here, too.I'll plant mine in about a week.

Stefaneener said...

Dan, I'm not sure, but the cats are good at finding sun.

kitsapFG, I'm not sure how long I can wait. I may just give them a couple of days, then cut them and a couple more days to scar over, then out they go. Where is still up in the air, though.

Mr. H., I'd plant them whole (and although I plan to cut them, I'd better measure the area first; that would determine what I do). That said, last year's potato crop was a failure, so this is really my first time. Caterina (the child) didn't manage to flop as successfully as Cleo the cat and I did - does that mean I have more in common with a cat than a 4.5 year old?

EG, I wish I could grow sweet potatoes like you do. Have you seen purple ones? I got one at a Whole Foods in TN, and it was about the best sweet potato I've ever tasted.

Jackie said...

I had some issues with blight (or something) on my potatoes last year. Here's hoping that yours fare much better!

chaiselongue said...

I'm sure the cat can manage more than 20 minutes of lying in the sun! We'll be planting early potatoes next week, but we don't put them out in the sun first. Do you find this helps?

Michelle said...

The cats have the sunniest places staked out around here, one of which is the bedroom. At times I walk into the room and find my husband stretched out taking a nap with a cat snuggled up next to or on top of him, and a couple of other cats scattered around the room. All of them sound asleep. I need to learn how to do that.

I'm still learning potatoes also, it's going to be interesting to see how my winter grown spuds do. They're still alive...

Zach said...

I think it might take you a while to get to the house cat level. But bask in the light while there is still cold outside!

Esperanza said...

I was so proud of myself for catching the window of time for seeds and pruning, I completely forgot about potatoes! To work I go...

Daphne Gould said...

Well at least kitty isn't batting them around as toys.

Stefaneener said...

Jackie, here's hoping. I didn't have too many problems save PM. I hope it's a better year, blightwise, for everyone.

Chaiselongue, it's the gardener's equivalent of twiddling my thumbs, really. I know nothing, nothing about potatoes.

Michelle, you know cats put off a sleeping gas if you lie down with them. True.

Zach, I can use the cats as inspiration. My teenager sleeps like a cat!

Esperanza, it's always something.

Daphne, they're pretty well-behaved.

Kate and Crew said...

My cats are not doing well in this cold weather. They seriously hibernate if it's under 80 degrees. She's beautiful and seems to be giving you the stink eye for snapping a pic during her naptime.

I have a bag of seed potatoes on my patio, but have never planted taters in a SFG before - I'm off to read about how to do this today...