Drooping, Wilty Potato Plant

The large leaves have begun to shrivel.  What was once vibrantly green has faded.  Leaves are yellowed, and some have turned brown.

A stem drops to the ground, no longer able to support its own weight.  It has begun the process of degradation.

A shadow of its former self, it attempts to stand erect, even now.  It knows its last days are approaching, yet even as it hunches over in its fragility, it retains its pride.

It clings to its former glory, remembering the brilliance of its youth.  It's time is near.

Yay!!!


You're probably wondering why I'm cheering the decline of a plant that I've nurtured for so long.  Seems odd, right?  After all, I've chronicled the development of my potato grow bag from the very beginning.  Of all of my projects, this one is my favorite.  The wilting of my potato plant should be causing me to break into tears.

And yet... that's not happening.


Why?

We've all heard the saying that 'all death brings about new life.'  Well, in the case of a potato plant, this is especially true.

Potatoes aren't truly ready for harvest until after the plant dies off.

Indeed, the potatoes themselves don't start forming until the potato plant blooms.  After the blooming period, the plants begin to wilt.

This one still has a while to go.  While one of the stems has fallen, the plant isn't ready quite yet.  It won't truly be ready until the green top-leaves have wilted.  At this time, they still look pretty healthy, even considering the overall degradation.

I'm a little bit nervous about what will happen when it's time to harvest.

Things are going well, yes, but I've had two different issues arise that have caused me concern.

1)  I never got any blooms.

I mean, I got something that resembles flowers, but nothing like what I've seen on other potato plants.  Fortunately, I've discovered that some potato plants don't produce flowers.  That was kind of shocking to me.  Shocking as it may be, though, it's given me hope.  See, I can't remember exactly what kind of potato plant this is.  The bin was marked "Good For Baking!"  So who knows?  I'm going to assume my plants have been growing properly.

2)  Pill bugs.

I lifted the mulch at the top of my grow bag a few days ago, just to see if I could get an idea of how far along the process had gotten.  Upon lifting the mulch, I discovered tiny pill bugs racing for cover.  Hopefully, they won't destroy the harvest.

Even with these two issues, however, I'm excited.  I'm considering videotaping the Great Harvest Event, just so that I can relive it over

and over

and over.

Yes, I'm crazy.  I've never denied that, after all!  The anticipation is just so overwhelming!  I love this potato grow bag, and I'm looking forward to planting one again, next year.  I hope it all works out!

Have you ever had something within your garden cause you this kind of joy and excitement?