One Of The Many Reasons I Love Compost



Mystery Vine Growing from Compost Pile



Onion

Cilantro

Amaranth

Potato



Red Onion



 A Laotian-American woman who has a farm near Fresno told me the best way to grow ginger is to just throw some into a compost pile, keep it damp and let nature work it's magic.  I tried but so far nothing to show for that experiment. BUT, when I got back o Sunday from about 12 days out of town, I noticed some things growing out of the compost bin, one looked like onion (and it was) but the other was something I had never seen before.  Very weird so I dug to where it was originating and found an old potato!  Didn't recognize it as I have never planted potatoes before.  It's very cool and I'd like to put it in the ground or do whatever I need to do to keep it growing, although I'm not sure of the best way to proceed.  Lorraine you are the Potato Master.  Any tips for me? 

I've left both the onion and potato in the bin for now but have taken of the top so they get some light.  Here's some photos of both below, and also one pix of an amaranth plant that seeded itself and is growing out from the bottom draining opening of a plastic five gallon pot.  Young amaranth leaves like these are fantastic raw in salads or stir fried.

The other very cool thing is a bunch of cilantro has seeded itself in the front yard from one old plant that died there a couple of months ago.  Cilantro is such a bitch to grow that I'm very happy about the self seeding.  Hopefully the temperature has cooled down enough now that it won't all flower immediately.  And it's here just it time for the avocados too!

Potato Root



Kong and Salty