The Shiloh Museum of Ozark History completed the harvest of their potato crop at the end of June. A total of 11.8 pounds of potatoes was harvested from approximately 30 plants, yielding around 100 usable potatoes. Unfortunately, a dozen potatoes were left unharvested due to issues such as soft spots, as observed in one of the photographs taken during the process. The majority of the harvested potatoes were donated to a local food bank.
Photo of the last row of potato plants to be harvested in the museum garden.
To prepare for the harvest, museum staff raked away the straw from the plants the day before, a technique also used in previous years during history camps to minimize the presence of ants and reduce the risk of ant bites. The harvest process began with the use of a five-tined manure or compost fork to carefully loosen the soil around each plant. This fork, with its long and narrow tines, was chosen to minimize the risk of puncturing the potatoes, though one potato was accidentally damaged during the process. After loosening the soil, each plant was gently pulled from the ground, and the potatoes were collected. Any remaining loose potatoes were retrieved by hand.
Following the initial harvest, a four-tined spading fork was used to further loosen the soil and search for any remaining potatoes. The task was somewhat challenging due to the row being planted in lawn with Bermuda grass, which had not been tilled prior to planting, making it difficult to penetrate the soil deeply with the fork. Despite these challenges, the harvest was successfully completed, contributing to the museum's ongoing agricultural and educational efforts.
Potato plants on and in the ground.
Potatoes that have not been harvested.
The potato yield at the Shiloh Museum of Ozark History.
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