Tag Archives: potato box

What We Did This Week To Prep 4/20/12

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Sunday was sunny, one of our first really nice weekend days this year, and we were out working in the yard. Sarah built her potato box and planting potatoes in it. Ryan and Chanse worked on the greenhouse putting up some of the polycarbonate siding. I did miscellaneous, around the yard, projects; exciting stuff like turning the compost, raking out dirt, pruning the tree, weeding (aka adding greens to the compost pile), all while being available for technical assistance as needed.

Later in the week I got back to the greenhouse and almost finished putting the polycarbonate up. I’m now, finally, within two to three hours of being completely done; hopefully that’ll be Sunday, which is again supposed to be sunny and warm. The greenhouse has been a big learning experience, construction-wise; I’d hesitate before recommending the project to anyone else–because of the amount of time, energy, and money it took–but I’m glad we did it. We really look forward to putting it to use this spring and, hopefully, using it all winter also. I really do need to finish it Sunday, because I plan to write up the greenhouse project for my Monday post.

Not really prepper related, but I also transplanted a couple of rose bushes. I bought three bushes for Sarah last year, unknowingly buying the climbing variety, and had planted them way too close together. So I dug up two of them and moved them to a better location against the fence, and put up a trellis for them to be able to “climb”. While most of our gardening is focused on food production, striving for self-sufficiency, there is a place for things that are just pretty. But even the pretty things–roses, lilacs, rhododendrons, and the annual flowers we will plant–have practical value because they attract pollinators to our yard which will then, hopefully, move on to our fruit and vegetable plants.

I bought some external pockets for my GHB* hiking pack (Maxpedition Falcon II), made by S.O. Tech, that I really like. I got them through SurvivalGearBags.com, they had great customer service and fast delivery; I was impressed and will buy from them again. Like Momma Bear mentioned, when discussing packing BOBs, it’s good to put items you may need quickly in easily accessible pockets. I love the PALS webbing stystem, on the newer tactical-style packs, that allows easy and secure configuration of external add-ons. In general I love all things bags/packs, and the more cool pockets on them, the better – I’m sure there’s a point of diminishing returns, but I haven’t found it yet. In the picture you can also see the red carabiner tied to the cord leading to my FAK.

What did you do?

(Monday: The Greenhouse Is Completed)

*For my list of abbreviations and other information, open the above ‘Check Here…’ page tab.

Sarah’s View: DIY Potato Box

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This weekend, with the beautiful weather we had here, Trace and I decided to work on some of our outdoor projects. I was able to build my potato box (in one day) and asked Trace if I could share the results, on our blog, sooner rather than later!

This year will be our first year growing potatoes. As we understand the way potatoes grow, they need soil added as the plant grows bigger to further stimulate production. Many people choose to simply mound the dirt around their plants or use old tires for their potato ‘frame’. However, years ago (before Trace) I saw a design for a ‘potato box’ that allows the grower to harvest the baby (or new) potatoes throughout the growing season.

We had already bought all the materials needed: one treated 2x4x12 and ten 1x6x6 boards (actually fence slats).

We pulled out the power tools – my dad’s mitre saw (which now ‘lives’ at our house) and the drills (plural because, if you have two, you don’t have to switch bits between the pre-drilling and the screwing in of the screws) – and, after quick review on how to use each, I got started (I’d used drills before, but not the saw).

My first step was to cut the 2x4x12 into four 33-inch pieces. These will be the upright corner posts. (A handy tip from Trace: measure from the end for each cut, that way you don’t lose the width of the saw blade from your cut). I then cut the 1x6s into twenty 24-inch pieces.

Next, I attached four 1x6s across the upright 2x4s to form the bottom frame into a square.

Originally I’d intended to build up just two layers of boards, leaving the rest to be added as dirt was piled onto the growing potatoes. I realized, however, that there was no reason not to build three sides up completely and only have one unfinished/working side. The first side went slowly as I lined up each board, pre-drilled the holes and then attached them. The second and third sides went much faster as I got used to the tools and the box gained more and more stability.

The fourth side boards will be attached as we add dirt. These will be attached with only one screw on each side, for easy removal, with the intention of harvesting the potatoes at the bottom of the box early, while allowing the rest to continue to grow.

We placed the three-sided box at the corner of our garden, where sun will hit the open side and we had some good dirt. I planted the seed potatoes–Kennebec and Red Pontiac–and hopefully, fingers crossed, we’re good to go for this year’s potato crop.

(Wednesday: Momma Bear)