One Hundred Dollars a Month

Yesterday the Girl and I planted 2 bags of seed potatoes in the backyard garden. I’m not sure how many spuds we are going to plant this year, but let me tell you Bob I am excited! The Handsome Husband is Irish, and potatoes are pretty much the only thing he likes to harvest in the garden so I typically grow several different varieties.

If you’ve never grown potatoes before {or just need a little refresher course} here’s how to grow them.

Brief description:  Potatoes are a starchy edible tuber.

Where to Plant Potatoes:  Plant in deep containers {old garbage cans work great}, potato towers, garden beds, and even raised beds {so long as you have at least 12 inches of depth to work with}.

Planting Seeds:  It is best to buy seed potatoes, as grocery story potatoes are usually treated to prevent sprouting–making yields a little unpredictable.  Store your seed potatoes in the fridge until you are ready to plant.  If your seed potatoes are already starting to sprout, plant them whole.

Otherwise, a few days before you plant them, take them out of the fridge and cut them into 2″ chunks or cut into pieces with at least one eye per piece.  Leave them on a paper towel overnight to dry out a bit.  When planting, plant about 10-12″  deep and 10″ apart, then cover with 4″ of soil.  As the potato leaves begin to show, cover with another 4″ of soil.  Repeat the process until you have mounds about 12″ high.

Growing Tips:  Potatoes prefer cooler weather, so plant 2 weeks before the last frost in your area.   Water regularly, potatoes like it moist, but not wet.

How to Harvest:  When the leaves die and turn brown, it is time to harvest your taters.  Just take a shovel and turn over the dirt.  I like to start nice and wide so that I don’t puncture any of my potatoes.  If you have grown them in a container, lay out a tarp and dump the container.  Sift out your potatoes, and voila, you’re done.

Are you ready to start your garden but you’re not sure when you should plant your seeds or set out your transplants? Head on over HERE and you’ll be taken to a handy dandy chart that is broken down into what vegetables should be planted {or transplanted} each month in your area.

Anyone can do this. Dirt + Seeds+ Water = Food!

~Mavis

Here are a few of my Favorite Potato recipes:

Baked Potato Casserole

HomeStyle Scalloped Potatoes

Crock Pot Baked Potatoes

Interesting Fact:  In 1845, Ireland’s potato crop was devastated by a fungus.  Until then, the Irish had subsisted largely on potatoes, because they were so easy to grow and required relatively little space considering the yields.  That single fungus put into motion a devastating 10 year famine, known as the Irish Potato Famine.

Potatoes are obviously still a staple to this day, they are the world’s 4th largest crop.  They follow rice, wheat and corn.

Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre – This book rocks!

Mini Farming describes a holistic approach to small-area farming that will show you how to produce 85 percent of an average family’s food on just a quarter acre—and earn $10,000 in cash annually while spending less than half the time that an ordinary job would require.

Even if you have never been a farmer or a gardener, this book covers everything you need to know to get started: buying and saving seeds, starting seedlings, establishing raised beds, soil fertility practices, composting, dealing with pest and disease problems, crop rotation, farm planning, and much more. ~ Amazon