How did the bed underneath the trees do?

This big bed is underneath a group of trees and a few years ago we had stored the manure, we managed to get, here. After spreading the manure in the garden, there was some left and we spread that here. We also spread some soil from a hill bed we took away. In this hill bed we had grown potatoes and we missed a few during harvest, so last growing season a lot of potatoes sprouted in a big corner of this bed. At some point I interplanted them with some kale. I had too many kale plantlets and did not want to throw them in the compost.

This kale, I did not cover and was amazed that for a very long time the cabbage white did not find it. The kale grew nice and big until they did. The caterpillar devoured the kale, but the top stayed undamaged and the kale grew on a little again. What I wonder is, if I had not “cleaned” the bed from all of the big weeds overgrowing the potatoes and kale, would the cabbage white still have found the kale, or not?

We harvested a bucket full of nice size potatoes in this corner. We lost some to mice and some sprouted again to beautiful potato plants.

The pumpkin plants grew very big and spread everywhere. They looked nice and healthy and we had a big harvest from only 3 plants.

The 3 rows of potatoes, I only harvested a few days ago. Everything looked bare and brown compared to the summer, where the plants looked green and beautiful. Luckily not many potatoes where damaged by frost, despite the fact that the potatoes where barely covered by mulch. There where clusters of many small potatoes, but there also where a number of bigger potatoes. I harvested about 8,5 kg. Not bad from potatoes left from last years harvest and just put into the ground somewhere without really caring for them.

Al in al we had a nice harvest from this bed without putting much effort in. I‘m not sure jet what I will do here next season. I’m thinking beets and carrots. Will see.