Last October, I started a large compost pile at my mother-in-law’s house. It grew to a respectable size over about four months. In February, we had a lot of rain here in Southern California, so I put off turning the pile until it dried out a bit.
Today, my husband Casey and I went out to do some spring gardening chores, including turning the compost pile and starting a new one.
Anyone who has made a compost pile knows that this is not easy work. The ties that I used to hook the chicken wire together had rusted to bits, and for some unknown reason I had brilliantly turned the seam to face the fence. Between those two things it took us 20 minutes just to get the chicken wire down.
The Seed Potato
After we succeeded in getting the wire down and making a new bin, Casey graciously offered to turn the pile for me. I delightedly accepted and went inside to rinse off the four carrots that survived the horrible choices I made putting in the fall garden.
About a minute later, Casey dashed up to the house holding something in his hand. It was a potato. Somehow all of the rain and cool weather had caused a potato plant to sprout on the very top of the compost pile.
It wasn’t a big potato, but it represented a turning point in my gardening career. Nature wants things to grow. I just have to learn to get out of the way.
The Unexpected Potato 
Malgayne said,
April 11, 2010 at 2:22 am
It’s such a cute little potato!
I love reading what you have to say. You have a knack for making simple things beautiful. 🙂
Rachel said,
April 12, 2010 at 1:21 am
This is a pleasant start to a new blog! I love the layout and the pictures. I look forward to more posts!