Planting Taters

Blessings Darlings!

I have a LONG  list of things to blog about, but have been too busy to blog.  But since I threw out my back yesterday just getting READY to plant potatoes .... I'm taking a few minutes to write a bit while the pain killers kick in today.

I didn't muck up my back this time as badly as I did last year.  This year I was just carrying too much weight in manure to the garden and my back said no.  So I stopped. But did get back to it today, carrying lighter loads.

PLUS I changed how I was going to plant the potatoes.  No hills this year.  No working with the clay soil with them at all.  Nor am I doing anything like 'official' raised beds.  No, this year I'm using garbage bags.

I still have some big black 45 gallon trash bags that we used when moving - for transporting clothes that were in closets on hangers (bunch about 10 - 15 items on hangers together in closet. Take a big garbage bag,  bag the clothes from the bottom to the top-by-the-hanger.  Tape bag shut around narrow part of hanger).  They were kind of beaten up by the move, had tape on 'em, some have holes. 

So I took them to the garden.  Put in a layer of straw 4 - 6 inches deep.  Dumped a 3.5 - 4 gallon bucket of well-aged horse manure on top of that.  Add two seed potatoes, there will be plenty of room for two plants.  Top with 4 inches of loose straw - more will be added when the vines start.  I had enough manure to get 6 bags, 12 plants, started. 

Lazy? Yes. More manure than they needed? Probably.  Will the bags last the season? Yes, I think so.   Will they last more than one summer? Heck no.  Could I get something done without making my back worse?  YES!  And that was REALLY important today.  Almost magical.  Totally Kitchen Witchy. 

Potatoes are a planting priority for me this year, since I'm planting both calories and nutrition.  A bushel of lettuce is great to eat, but in hard times it won't keep you alive as long as a bushel of potatoes. It's just part of my survival / prepper / preparedness approach.

Frondly, Fern