Potatoes!

[Shannon]

The other day... musta been a month or two ago now... I had the idea to plant a potato and see what happened. Predictably, I ended up with a potato plant, and over time I started noticing it was pushing up the soil around it. Everything was going okay until I noticed the leaves turning splotchy brown... and I found whiteflies.

Whiteflies are the gardener's bane. Especially when, like me, you don't want to use pesticides.

Well, last night it rained hard and this morning to my surprise there was a little potato sticking out of the soil. With the main plant dying from the whiteflies, I figured it was a good time to harvest... or at least see what was going on... so I pulled it up. Lo and behold, three potatoes! Small potatoes to be sure, but potatoes none the less! Growing happily alongside my peanut plants.

They smell different than anything I ever smelled for a potato before, and they feel different, too. They're very firm... not like the potatoes ou buy in the store, which have a slight "give" typically.

It was really cool to discover this. I think I am going to plant some more.

[Shannon]

I checked the root system of the plant from which I harvested the potatoes and discovered that it is producing a new batch of tuberlings! Unfortunately, the plant is dying, so I don't expect this to get very far... but still, a very interesting thing to discover. Perhaps I can find a way to do some sort of hydroponic gardening with potatoes.

[Shannon]

Ha HA! I have commandeered every pot and bucket I could find and planted potatoes! I am not sure why this fascinates me so, but I do love gardening... and potatoes are so easy to grow and so much fun to harvest! Gonna try to get more buckets for this. lol

I know, I know. You think I'm crazy. But really... before you conclude that, try planting a few potatoes and see what you think in 3-4 months when you're eating what you grew.

[Clamshell]

There's an experiment you can try with any kind of plant. Put the plant in a dark closet, but coil a copper wire around it. Lead that copper wire outdoors and connect it to a copper plate that's placed in an area that would get a lot of sunshine. Supposedly, the solar energy would travel along the copper wire to the plant. And it will be as if the plant were outdoors getting sunlight!

[Shannon]

Well that sounds interesting, and I'd love to know where you came across that idea, but I am going to have to say that I don't understand any way that could work. I don't know where I'd get the copper plate, either, but I'd certainly be up for the experiment if I could.

This morning I was contemplating starting an indoor hydroponic potato farm. And then I realized that not only would it be too expensive to be worthwhile, but the cops would come knocking down my door looking for the marijuana grow house they would suspect from the spike in energy usage. I can just see it now...

"But officer, I'm growing potatoes!"

[Clamshell]

Well that sounds interesting, and I'd love to know where you came across that idea, but I am going to have to say that I don't understand any way that could work. I don't know where I'd get the copper plate, either, but I'd certainly be up for the experiment if I could.

The copper wire and copper plate should be easily had from any hardware store. I don't think the copper plate has to be very big. In fact, I think all you have to do is coil the end of the copper wire that's going to be in the sun to get as much solar energy as possible. One suggestion is to coil the wire (fairly loosely) within the width of a ice cream bucket lid. And the copper wire doesn't have to be on continuous piece either, or all that thick. In fact I'm talking about the thin wire. And the different wires just have to touch the other wire to make a line. And copper wire is cheap.

It's a radionics experiment that I've read out of more than one book. I think one book was written by a guy who's last name was Cosimano. This may have more info. about it: [potentially copyrighted material - removed]

[Shannon]

I appreciate the link, but I am not sure if this is legal... is this book copyrighted material? If so, we can't have the link here without the author's Or copyright owner's) permission.

This sounds interesting indeed, but I am going to be skeptical until I see it for myself.

[Clamshell]

I just found it on the internet. I don't even think the author is alive, any more. But maybe you should take it down. However, I saved myself a copy

[Shannon]

Better safe than sorry. I've removed it.

[Shannon]

Clamshell, I have just added Rule #15 in response to thinking about this. While I don't see a copyright notice in what you linked to, I do know that US Copyright law covers it regardless. Please remember that just because you found it on the Internet doesn't necessarily mean it's Public Domain or Creative Commons material. Please send me a PM showing where and how you got it, so I can verify its status. And in the future, please don't post links that could potentially be a breach of copyright law.

[Clamshell]

Clamshell, I have just added Rule #15 in response to thinking about this. While I don't see a copyright notice in what you linked to, I do know that US Copyright law covers it regardless. Please remember that just because you found it on the Internet doesn't necessarily mean it's Public Domain or Creative Commons material. Please send me a PM showing where and how you got it, so I can verify its status. And in the future, please don't post links that could potentially be a breach of copyright law.

Ok, sorry. PM is sent.