Poh tay toes!!

Hooray! Yesterday, I purchased some potato starts.

I love potatoes almost as much as Kayne loves Kayne.

All kidding aside, I am really excited to continue my gardening preparations.

I picked these bad boys up at a nearby grocery store. (In WA state, you can purchase seeds and starts with food stamps!)

I have limited space right now as I currently only have four raised garden beds. But since these need to be started now, I have time before I'll transplant my tomatoes and start my corn.

The first 8 potatoes on the left are Yukon gold and the 8 on the right are russets.

Have you ever grown potatoes? If not, don't worry about it! Last year was my first year. And tell you what... it was not difficult at all. 

Here are the basics. 

Part 1:

1. Pick your potatoes! Decide what kind you want.
2. Purchase your taters. (You can use organic potators as starts but I've heard conflicting information on it.)
3. Place them in a window so they can grow eyes (you know when potatoes start growing green sprouts after you don't use them? That's what you are going for here). You'll want a warm area with lots of sunshine. It can take 2-3 weeks.
4. After several eyes are established on the potatoes, cut them into about 2 inch squares.
5. Let them calluse (potatoes can mold if you don't do this). This can take around a week or more.

After this first step, you can bury them once the weather is continously over 50 degrees Fahrenheit. 

Part two:

1. Dig about 1 foot down into soil and add fresh compost and place them about 1.5 ft apart, with the cut size down.
2. Cover with 3-4 inches soil. Within two weeks, your potatoes should have stems emerging. 
3. Add another 3-4 inches of soil. Now, let the stems grow to aboit 8 inches high. 
4. Once 8 inches high, add another 3-4 inches of soil. 
5. Water regularly and keep the area weed free. If you see any potatoes peeking out of the soil, cover quickly with more soil. The exposed potato could turn green, which can be toxic. 

Once the fall frost comes in, the stems will likely die. You can harvest your potatoes during this time. You'll want to store them in a cool and dry place. 

It may seem like a lot of steps, but I can tell you thr reward is well worth it. While potatoes aren't super expensive, you gain skills, independence, and a sense of pride from growing something yourself. Plus, homegrown potatoes (well, produce in general) tastes far better than store bought potatoes. 

If you have any questions, leave me a comment below! 

Katie

The Root of Sustainable Hearth

If you were to ask me my favorite hobbies, I'd probably include different answers, based on my mood. But a common denominator will always be my family and food, specifically food storage. 

I love to eat. I love looking at food. But I don't just love to eat it, either. I love seeing my efforts up in beautiful mason jars above my kitchen cupboards. I love being able to pull our dehydrated tomatoes from my storage and putting it on my pizzas in the winter months. I love to store food for times of need. Canning, dehydrating, growing a garden, and more. I love being able to walk outside and see big, vibrant red tomatoes growing in my garden. I love the smell of basil picked from my herb containers. I love digging up recently harvested potatoes and knowing we can use them for our future meals. 

And knowing that I have the skillset to store food that I grew for my family brings me peace. I have anxiety about food! I think it's part of our ancestors daily dilemmas built into our genetic make up. Not knowing where your next meal would come from, if you will come across fresh access to water, and how to store anything for times of need. Worries like that don't bother to me to the same extent, but I think you get the idea.  

I'm not nomadic by any means. I have just moved to my forever home, which comes equipt with running water. I have a few ponds and a river nearby. 

I also live two hours from Seattle, close to a very busy interstate, and a mostly decommissioned nuclear production complex. I'm not necessarily worried about doomsday, but I want to make sure I can help our family and perhaps those in need if you-know-what hits the fan.

So, that's the sustainable aspect. I have a pong way to go, but I want to be sustainable.

As far as hearth, there are two definitions. One of which means a fire place. The other means home. And I want this project of mine to essentially mean both. 

Everyone has a place called home. Our family of five just moved to our forever home. Yours might be in a different location than where you currently reside. When you think of it, generally in brings comfort, security, and peace to your mind and heart. 

Mankind has traveled great lengths to find a safe place to call home. And for us, we finally found ours. The thought of it brings a warmth to my heart, and makes me feel safe. 

So, Sustainable Heart is me. And I am Katie.