But there is no harvest without work. Written By: Mike Jacobs | × Mike Jacobs, Grand Forks Herald columnist. GRAND FORKS — In another dry spring not so many years ago, while the wind howled and the dust blew, I expressed alarm to my farmer neighbor. He shrugged his shoulders and said, “Plant in the dust and the bins will bust.” I laughed then, but as I’ve mulled those words through the years, I come to respect their profound message of resignation and of hope. So, on Saturday, I planted potatoes. In her column on Saturday, the Grand Forks Herald's Ann Bailey described the Irish tradition of planting potatoes on Good Friday. I was a day late this year. Nevertheless, the potatoes are in the ground. As protection against potential frost, I mulched them well.