Yay for good soil!

 I keep forgetting how well the soil absorbs water once it gets over the whole dry as a popcorn fart stage.

Late afternoon shot but that is dark and moist soil down a good 4+  inches. The other two beds were still damp as well, thanks to mild weather and no blazing sunshine to blast the soil with heat. I used the cultivator to dig around the entire bed and there were some less wet spots and sections around the edges but it's all good. The fertilizer pellets helped somewhat I suspect, I probably dropped about a cup or two of pellets in that bed and at least a cup in each of the other beds.

 I guess  I'll be planting potatoes this season as a friend is going to pass those two potatoes on to me since they are going out of town for a week and a half. Russet on the top and a blue (Russian?) potato both with very well growing eyes (chitting as I've seen others call it) and then I've got the small red one in the cupboard that is also sprouting. She was also going to see what seeds she had for cool season planting other than what I've got. Told her I wasn't fond of the Chantenay carrots as they are short and stout and I had bought them for putting in the ground. I might stop at the library tomorrow since I'll be out and about in the afternoon.

Now I just have to make sure the soil is sandy enough and drains well, not too much nitrogen and all that for the spuds to grow well.  The soil in the raised bed drains well enough but it still holds onto moisture a long time (as long as it's not 90+), that was the death of my first potatoes I grew waaay back at another place but that also did not have the advantage of full sun.  

After some research, potatoes like slightly acidic soil.... hmmmm. And something I didn't know there are early season/late season and determinate and indeterminate potato varieties. I have no freaking clue on what kind of potatoes I have other than Russet, Blue and Red. From what I read, it seems they are all the same growing pattern which means digging a 'trench' and hilling as they grow. This could get interesting. I see why people use grow bags because I remember last time I tried this I was digging up a potato sprout in the West bed way past potato season and also had one come up in the raised bed. One of the reasons why I wanted to use the crate...... wait a minute.

Dig the soil out in an area big enough for the crate and sink it into the raised bed, backfill with soil..... Brilliant! Potatoes are contained, don't have to worry about escaping spuds, more than adequate drainage.... and takes up most of the area in the raised bed. Still enough room for something on the trellis if I want and cilantro and lettuces... so yeah that's cool! Need to take some measurements and see just what position to put it in, more to the back, east or west end.

Okay then, that's a solution and just so happens that onions and cilantro make good companion plants for potatoes. Some people consider 'companion planting' as using repellent type plants not necessarily beneficial for nutrients. Cilantro is relatively shallow rooted so that's a good reason it's compatible. I'm actually looking forward to planting now! Need to set up the seed pellets in containers now and get them set up for....peas? Since the pellets can go directly in the soil I guess carrot seeds would be okay. Romaine would be fine.