Potatoes and Onions

Potatoes and Onions

Onions and potatoes are two important crops grown in Abe’s Beer Garden each year. Potatoes, of course, are a staple food that serves as the foundation of many meals. They can be mashed, fried, boiled and baked. We also like to wrap them in foil and place them on the coals while grilling. During the winter sometimes we will wrap them in foil and set them on top of the wood stove for 3 or so hours, letting them bake slowly.
Potatoes In Bloom
The potatoes have reached the blooming stage and the plants at this point are about 18 inches tall. There have been few problems this year, save for a few Colorado potato beetles. It was a small outbreak and I just crushed them. There are still a few hanging about, and I just deal with them as I find them. The photos show the adult and the larvae. Both will devour the potatoes. A severe infestation can completely defoliate plants, leading to a much diminished harvest. When the plant flowers, you can begin digging a few small, “new,” potatoes, though I usually just let them continue to grow until maturity.
Onions Beginning to Bulb
These onions I grew from seed that I started in February under the grow lights. I transplanted them to bedding packs in March and set them in the garden in early April. These are onions that I will store. I did plant some onion sets that I purchased locally. Onion sets are small onions grown the season before, stored over the winter and then planted. Starting from sets is the faster, easier way to grown onions, the onion is a biennial. This means that it will flower during the second year of growth. The ones I grew from sets will probably all flower. Usually, onions grown from sets will not keep well. Those I will chop down and dehydrate. They are good in soups, stews and other dishes that have onion as a seasoning. We also grind them in a blender, making onion powder. The ones grown from seed should keep well.