Peruvian potatoes

[redback]

The lesson of the Peruvian potatoes is game changing. @Meadowlark is one of many farmers who have reach a point where farming turns back to natural. That means no NPK fertilizers- no pesticides or herbicides -no pests or diseases. Amazing. It goes unnoticed while loud mouthed-pushers-of-chemicals control a good part of our food chain.
The whole medical system is similarly only slowly waking up that change is happening. What's good for our gardens is healing our bodies too. Prescription drugs don't heal they maintain the status quo. I am an ex-smoker and have had a bypass heart operation but since I've quit and ten years after the op. I had few illnesses of any kind. I have been eating my organic vegetables and like anyone who eats fresh organic produce you can feel it doing you good.
Food is medicine.

 

[Meadowlark]

...Food is medicine.

Well said and I would just add to the quote...When grown organically.

 

[Meadowlark]

... It goes unnoticed while loud mouthed-pushers-of-chemicals control a good part of our food chain.

In my experience, most (maybe all) of those have an agenda to push...and very few have ever tasted the delights of nutrient rich organic veggies.

 

[Meadowlark]

Early "robbed" new potatoes (11ounce per average) ...still three weeks of growing to go to maturity...grown "Peruvian" style.

 

[redback]

grown "Peruvian" style

Using your own seed spud is not recommended here but yours seem completely disease free so I will try it again. Potatoes are the companion plant to meat. lol.

 

[Meadowlark]

Using your own seed spud is not recommended here

Really? Been doing that for years but sometimes I run out and have to buy seed spuds.

Why not recommended?

 

[redback]

Why not recommended?

It is supposed to cause blight and other diseases.
I experimented for a few of my own seed spud, but a hollow black interior developed, and I quickly stopped. The USA is closer to the source of Peruvian potatoes so you might be getting superior seed stock.
I'm not happy with the certified seed either so I will try to find an organic grower.

 

[Meadowlark]

If the seeds are disease free, then it would seem the new potatoes would also be free all things being equal. I always felt that black hollow area was due to drought followed by excess water.

 

[redback]

If the seeds are disease free, then it would seem the new potatoes would also be free all things being equal.

The fear of inbreeding without introducing new stock.

I always felt that black hollow area was due to drought followed by excess water.

Okay. Another myth exposed. Thanks.

 

[rtrowbri303]

I used Brix a good bit until a couple of years ago and consistently got readings 12 and above at maturity of many different varieties of veggies. It was my intent to establish a data base of plants, Brix readings, soil conditions, and environmental readings.

Alas, I seemed to have gotten lazy lately and haven't kept up the work. It does get kind of boring in a highly organic nutrient rich soil situation. The readings are always excellent.

A very interesting study would have been to compare Brix readings of mature veggies grown with and without synthetic fertilizers. I'm confident in how that would have turned out...but my motivation seems to be slipping a bit in my old age.

We humans kind of have our own built in Brix meters...called taste. As long as the veggies are tasting excellent, things are going the right direction in the garden.

 

[rtrowbri303]

What a fantastic perspective on Brix testing! Your experience highlights something many gardeners don't realize—that consistently high-quality organic soil can almost make Brix testing "too successful" to be exciting anymore. It's like having a sports car on a racetrack rather than city streets—when your soil is dialed in, ideally, those 12+ readings become the norm rather than the exception.


Your idea about comparing synthetic versus organic fertilizer impacts on Brix readings would have made for compelling research.
I suspect you're absolutely right about how that would have turned out—there's growing evidence that soil biology and slow-release organic nutrients tend to produce more complex, flavorful produce with higher mineral content.

But I love your point about our built-in "Brix meters" - taste is the ultimate measure! You know you're doing something right when you bite into a tomato that makes you stop mid-chew because the flavor is so intense, or lettuce that's actually sweet instead of bitter. Those moments remind us why we garden in the first place.


Don't feel bad about the motivation slipping - maybe it's just your garden telling you you've mastered the fundamentals? Sometimes "boring" consistency is the sign of a truly successful system.
Your years of building that nutrient-rich soil are still paying dividends, even without the data to prove it.

Have you considered maybe shifting focus to experimenting with more unusual varieties instead? Sometimes, trying something completely new can reignite that curiosity - plus you'd get to taste-test your way through the research!

 

[Meadowlark]

I really appreciate your reply @rtrowbri303 especially as relates to usage of Brix.

...Have you considered maybe shifting focus to experimenting with more unusual varieties instead?

Oh yes...every year I try something(s) new. Often, it turns out the "new" isn't suitable for this climate. However, my "new" this year, Tromboncino Italian Heirloom Zuchetta Zucchetta Squash, is looking really promising and could well become a mainstay in my garden replacing green zucchini.

Don't be a stranger @rtrowbri303 with your comments as I enjoyed reading them.

p.s. recent photo of Tromboncino Italian Heirloom Zuchetta