"Ook" Ook Don't send me any freakin' spam at zootal dot com delete the
Don't send me any freakin' spam wrote in message
...

Supposedly, seed potatoes are known to be free of diseases. Who knows if
it's true? The other issue might be that they'll be varieties you don't
often see in stores, some of which are quite interesting and tasty.

As far as when to plant, go to google and search using these words:
oregon cooperative extension

Do you know what that organization is?


Oregon State University Cooperative Extension publishes a planting
calendar for the local area, but they don't seperate the different areas
of the valley. Last frost dates in the valley vary by as much as 3-4
weeks, as do planting times, depending on where in the valley you are.
Their calendar is also very conservative - they don't want anyone to
follow their advice and then have crops freeze/fail. I went ahead and put
a bunch of onions and potatoes in the ground, since we have had a few dry
weeks, and it's not likely to be this dry again for another 3-4 months
(once it starts to rain again, it won't stop until June). I put in about 4
feet of daikon just to see if they will grow. I have little to loose if
they don't, and since daikon is very sensitive to warm weather, they just
might do good if planted early.



I don't know how big this valley is, but it sounds like where I live:
Rochester NY, on the south side of Lake Ontario. Planting details can vary
tremendously between my neighborhood, and those of friends 20 miles south.
Matter of fact, it's different 8 minutes away. Worse, it's different from
one side of my property to another. Mini-climates, in other words.

This is why gardeners are better than all other people: We become scientists
if we really want to be successful. You have to get to know your area
intimately over a number of years. The only way is through experimentation,
and becoming comfortable with total failure and disaster. When things go
well, you'll think you're da bomb. When things go lousy, you'll still think
your da bomb.