My Potatoes are Coming Up!

In one bin, my favorite blue potato plants have grown tall enough for me to “hill” them.
The more potato stem covered, the more potatoes will develop. My goal for this bin is to fill it to the brim with soil. The potatoes can easily be picked out of the soil once the plants begin to flower. To “hill” the potatoes, I carefully cover the leafy stems with soil, making sure some leaves still remain above the surface of the soil.
I checked my other bins for signs of life. I planted Yukon Gold potatoes in the largest garbage can and I haven’t seen much action there. Those plants only receive direct sunlight at high noon. They are planted at the bottom of the can and the high sides of the can shade the plants for the majority of the day. I finally saw some anemic looking tendrils, pushing their way through the layer of compost. Success!
I taught my oldest how to prepare potatoes the way my mother did when I was little. She would slice them thin and slow fry them in bacon fat with sliced onions and lots of pepper. The caramelized onions and browned potatoes taste like heaven. He was impressed that something as simple as potatoes and onions could make such a wonderful meal. I was happy to pass a little bit of Grandma down to him.