Potatoes
The main reason I would like to grow potatoes is because of the huge variety of things that I will be able to do with them afterward. I could make french fries, turn them into potato bread, and even make flower out of them. I also very much enjoy digging up potatoes when they are ready to eat. They are simple plants to grow and because you see little progress throughout the process, picking the potato is a grand reward I am looking forward to having!a. A potato is a starchy root crop.
b. Potatoes can be planted in late fall or early spring as long as the soil can be worked and they are planted in a frost free area. They need 3 to 4 months of cool weather to fully develop to growing season would be 3 to four months after whenever they are planted. They are usually grown from piece of tuber, however certified seeds can be used. I personally would prefer growing them from tuber so that it does not take as long to germinate. There isn't much special preparation other than they need space, sun, and a slightly acidic soil to be planted in to prevent scab disease.
c. Like stated earlier, potatoes usually need 3 to 4 months to fully develop. That could be possible during the time we have this semester if they are planted soon. It is also okay to dig some up early, they just won't be the full size that is wanted. I don't think they could help the garden too much long term, other than creating a nice space that they could be grown in at the start of each year.
d. Potatoes do need quite a lot of space, usually they need to be planted around a foot apart from each other and have the rows around 2 to 3 feet away from each other. This will clearly use more space and might make potatoes unreasonable to grow in our garden unless another bed is made.
e. Like stated earlier, it does prefer acidic soil ranging form 5.0 to 6.5 in PH. The N-P-K ration should be 16-20-0 which is Ammonium phosphate.
f. Potatoes need regular watering until the rainy season, which unfortunately we do not have. It is better to use drip irrigation so that the sprouts and leaves do not get wet.
g. Good companion plants with potatoes include: Cabbage and Beans. Good companion flowers include: Petunias, Amaranth, and Sweet Alyssum.
The most interesting fact I found about the potato is that in 1995, potato plants were taken into space with the shuttle Columbia. This was the first time any food was ever grown in space. Other than that, they are the fourth most common plant grown in the United States and are very simple and average.
Collard Greens
I would love to grow Collard Greens because they has been a main part of my diet since I was a child. My mom has always loved Collard Greens and they would be fun to grow, bring home, and eat with her. Collard Greens have a lot of nutritional ingredients that could be very helpful to our students and community. They are very underrated vegetables that we should be growing and promoting their health factor!
a. Collard Greens are a vegetable.
b. The growing seasons for Collards would be planting in early october for a fall or winter harvest, or planting in February or March for a spring harvest. It should be grown directly in the garden with a seed and if planted on the first of October will be ready to harvest in the colder winter months.
c. From seed to harvest it taxes approximately 3 months, which does not make sense or work at all for the time we have this semester. It does matter because in the colder months it grows sweeter and during these hot months the Collards will taste bitter if harvested.
d. Collards grow about 3 feet wide and 2 feet tall which takes up a lot of space. While we would only have space for one or two, they do produce a lot of food and I think the space would be very well used. They just need to be planted far enough so the leaves aren't touching because they aren't a very rooty plant.
e. Collards like very nitrogen enriched soil, however I couldn't find a specific N-P-K ratio for them. They like slightly acidic PH in there soil ranging from 6.5 to 6.8.
f. Collards like to be watered 1 to 1.5 inches per week, so they should be watered accordingly with the rainfall of each week. Because they do grow from rain, they like to be watered overheard by sprinkler or hose as water on their leaves does not affect growth.
g. The only good companions plants for Collard Greens are tomatoes.
Collard Greens are not only a delicious healthy food, but they are also the state leafy green of South Carolina. Collard Greens are the staple vegetable of the southern United States.
Beets
I would love to grow beets because they are a perfect mixture of Kale Collards and Potatoes. Not physically or taste-wise, but emotionally. They are just as fun as potatoes to grow grow and dig up, and you can make the same amount of things out of them. They have also always been my favorite vegetable since I was a kid because of their texture and sweet taste. I think it would be great to grow something so beautifully colored and tasting.
a. Beets are a root crop, however have many different varieties.
b. The growing season for beets can be in the fall winter or spring, preferably 2 months before the average daily temperature reachers 80 degrees. It should be grown directly from the seed and germinates in 4-10 days after being planted. It is not necessary but you may soak the seeds in water overnight before planting to have a more uniform germination.
c. Beets take 45 to 65 days to reach harvest from planting the seed. I think this would work very well for this semester because they could be done and ready to eat midway through the semester and I might even be able to plant a second round of them and fix mistakes (if any) made during the first.
d. Beets should be grown 4 inches apart which I think is very reasonable for the amount you get during harvest and the space we have in the garden. I could have 9 plants in one square foot which is enough to have 9 people eating a beet! Or many more just having a taste.
e. Pre planting fertilizer should be with a high phosphate and low nitrogen fertilizer. Preferably and N-P-K ratio of 5-10-5. The prefer slightly acidic soil with the PH ration being between 6 and 6.8.
f. Beets should be evenly watered every 5 days or however many days to where the soil does not run dry. It is fine to overhead water them because their leaves are actually a food as well and do not mind water.
g. Beets have many compatible plants including: Basil, Bush beans, Cabbage, Kohlrabi, Lettuce, Onion, Sage, Tomato
Many beets are actually grown to use their leaves as a food instead of the beet itself. The leaves are know as chard and can be steamed or made into soup. Beets have been used medicinally in the past to cure Kidney stones as well as used as natural laxatives.
