Sunday, February 8, 2009

Seed Potatoes are Here! What now?


My seed potato order from Peaceful Valley is in! I ordered 5 lbs of their Red, Yellow and Blue mix just for fun. I've got some Yukon Gold here so these will be a nice flavorful change if I'm successfull. Included are Yellow Finn, Colorado Rose and All Blue.

My original Grand Plan was to build potato boxes like these.

But then I recently saw these Crocus Potato Boxes and fell in love with the concept. I couldn't actually build any for the price these are, but how long would they last? Anyone got any ideas?

I'm hesitant to build yet more things that I'm going to have to load up in a truck in 2 or 3 years and take with the other 13000 lbs of stuff to my final homestead. And with all the other dirt hauling and raised bed building and tree planting this early spring, I'm really dreading putting yet another building project in the queue. Hmm..that sounds perilously close to whining doesn't it?

I may just wind up making a big pile of dirt and straw.

What would you all recommend?

4 comments:

Unknown said...

I'm pretty thrifty (cheap) so I think I would make a few calls and try to find some scrap lumber or skids and try to make my own potato boxes. Unless your looking for something pretty??? I find it challenging to see how resourceful I can be. I make it into a game.;D

I look forward to seeing what you come up with.;D

Aimee said...

well, I don't know how this fits with your worldview, but my dad used to plant potatoes in old tires. It worked very well, you always know where the potatoes are, and they are free. I guess you could call it recycling! But me, I might worry about chemicals leaching from the tire.

ChristyACB said...

Aimee,

I'm with you on the tire thing. I think the potential for leaching is there and I probably wouldn't do that. Plus I live in a fairly, umm...rigid, neighborhood and they would certainly lynch me for put out piles of tires. :)

Christy

Judy T said...

I have never tried it but I know someone who grew potatoes in an old rubbermaid garbage barrel. I always wondered how well the potatoes grew when they were way down at the bottom before all the soil got added in. It seems that it would be quite dark. Of course, maybe that stimulates them to grow up quickly. I've got potatoes coming later but we're putting them in the ground in the garden.
Judy