The potatoes were done growing, so I started to harvest them slowly the last week and I raked my way through the piled-up moss, compost, and soil.

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The moss did not decompose much, but it did mostly die at least. And it certainly performed the task that I had in mind for it – it completely suffocated everything under it. The potato harvest was not spectacular, but I did not expect it to be.

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I got about 50 kg of reasonably sized potatoes. I was hoping for a bit more, but I cannot complain, since I planted very small leftovers from last year. There were three problems with this crop this year – first, the plants were damaged by late frost, then they suffered through drought. Those that survived it did bounce back in July, and unlike pumpkins, they did thrive in the wet and cold weather. And then they suffered a third plague – rodents. A lot of tubers were damaged or completely eaten by voles. But we still have a lot of dehydrated potatoes from last year, and 50 kg of fresh potatoes should get us through the winter for foods where dehydrated potatoes do not work well.

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The soil under the patches is now bare. I will pile up the moss in one heap and mix it with calcium cyanamide. That way, it should compost until spring, and I can use it to cover potatoes the next year, too. I will try to plough the bare patches of soil now to cultivate them. If I manage to do that, I will plant either beans or peas the next year in there. If I do not manage to do that, I will plant beans.

Next year, I will buy proper seed potatoes, and at least part of them will be planted properly underground. But I will also choose another grassy spot and do this method again. Potatoes are a lot of work in the spring and in the fall, but they are a fairly low-maintenance crop. And growing something means less grass to mow and more food to eat.