Carmela Sia is a veteran gardener. From her early years in Italy, she helped her father in their garden, learning the skills and tricks to great gardening which she carried to her new home in Quesnel.
This year, despite a two-month trip to her home country, Carmela still managed to harvest about 245 pounds of potatoes from eight plants she placed in her garden in May.
Thanks to her neighbour, Pat Bolitho who faithfully watered her garden, when Carmela returned at the end of August everything was thriving, including the four rows of potatoes.
Along with respectable-sized tubers, Carmela was amazed to find several three-pound and two-pound potatoes.
“I’ve had big potatoes before, but never three-pounders,” she said with a smile.
Although Carmela now gardens on her own since her husband died and has downsized her gardening plot, she still manages to grow enough produce to share with family and friends.
Her Yukon Gold Cornets and a particularly prolific strain of red potatoes now sit drying on the garage floor of her Westside home.
Carmela also had a bumper crop of beans, zucchini, Swiss chard, parsley, carrots and other vegetables along with fruit from her trees.