Potato Planting - These ain't Free-range Taters

Last year we planted potatoes in cages made from chicken wire. We planted about 25 of them and as the plants grew we covered them with straw and leaves. The idea was that we would get lots of potatoes doing it that way. Well we got about 20 pounds which in my book was not a lot. I could say I was hoping for many more but I don't waste my time time hoping for stuff to happen. I do something and when the time comes I reap what is there. It did not work as expected because the place where we planted stayed too wet and disease and insects got the better of the plants.

This year I am trying the technique again because I think the method has merit. We prepared a different space by covering it with straw and chicken crap from the hen house and letting the soil food wed do its thing for a couple of months. I planted the potatoes in mid-March. Now they are up over the tops of the cages looking lush, strong, disease and insect free. They are developing flower buds now. We can hardly keep up with putting straw around them!

The cages are arranged in a triangular pattern so last Robin came up with the brilliant idea of planting potatoes outside the cages between in the spaces between. This gives us 50% more plants in the space. To say she thinks outside the box would be wrong. She doesn't even know the box exists :) Sometimes that is a very good thing!









So, in a couple of months we will pull of the cages and see how many potatoes we got.

I will let y'all know.

Intern Wanted @ The Funny Farm

Now that I have reached the age of the average American farmer i understand why there is such a strong effort to encourage more young people to become farmers. Damn! It gets harder to keep up with each passing season.
So, I am seeking someone to help me a couple of days a week. Here are the details:

Compensation: $0.00. I can't afford to pay you however i will prepare you a delicious, nutritious lunch of fresh locally grown food. I will give you fresh produce to take home. I will teach you how to pull weeds properly, how to tell the good bugs from the bad, how to tie up and prune tomatoes, how to start plants from seed, how to apply permaculture principles, how to grow worms, how to attract beneficial insects to the garden and a host of other stuff. Whatever the daily task is we will do it side by side.
Qualifications: Show up on time. Be ready to learn. Be calm and patient. Think creatively. If you are a chatty Cathy or a blathering Billy non-stop talker bouncing off the walls. woohooo, yadayadayada, type person please do not apply.
Hours: 9:00 - 1 or 2:00 2 days a week. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday or Friday.

If you are interested please email me at leekfixer@comcast.net telling me why you want to work at the Funny Farm and then convince me you are the right person for the job.

Keep on Growing!