I got this picture the other day, of some HUGE potato plants:

The owner was wondering when to harvest them.

However… on closer inspection… it became obvious that the plants were not all potatoes. Some interlopers were taking over the patch.

To make it easy to see, I marked out the potatoes and the potato patch invaders.

For new gardeners or for those growing an unfamiliar crop, plant ID can be an issue. When you have a bunch of green things growing up together, it can be hard to tell which are weeds and which are your vegetables.

That said, if you potato plants are over 6′ in height, there’s pretty much no chance they’re actually potatoes.

The gardener told me she would go ahead and pull the big weeds and give the potatoes some breathing room.

I advised her not to pull them, however, as they have their roots all intertwined with the potato plants at this point. If you yank ’em, you’re likely to disturb the potatoes and end your growing season.

Instead, I recommended that she just carefully chop the weeds down to the ground to let the potatoes outcompete them. Then, of course, she can compost her enemies.

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In other news, I am going offline for a few days. We are scheduled to close on a new homestead tomorrow morning, so my office needs to be disconnected and reassembled in a new location over the weekend.

God is good, and He has guided us through in unexpected ways.

I will return to my regular video production and blogging on the other side. Thank you for the prayers and support – it’s been a tough month.