It’s been rain-central in the Pacific Northwest, so it’s hard to remember that it’s already June!  While they’re a bit delayed, my plants definitely seem to realize that it’s supposed to be summer.  They are growing like crazy.

My strawberries are oh so tall.

The rhubarb has recovered well from its cross-country flight, although it appears something is munching on the leaves.

Raspberry starts from my lovely friend have decided that living with me is not so bad.

And fruit trees…

Fruit trees still feel like cheating to me.  They are so totally free food.  (Are these plums?  Anyone know?)

And last for today, but certainly not least, the potato condo.

What’s growing in your backyard?

Related posts:

1. How To Build A Lasagna Garden For Free – Part 1
2. Seed Saving, Garden Planning and Stupid Questions
3. House, Now With Fruit Trees!

Last week, I built a potato condo.  (Superman helped.  He supervised.  Har har.)

What Is A Potato Condo?

A potato condo (sometimes called a potato box or a build-as-you-go box) is basically what it sounds like – a tall, vertical home for your potatoes.  Instead of growing your potatoes in rows along the ground, you grow them UP, and harvest them vertically as well.  If that sounds a little weird, it will make more sense once I show you how to build it.

As far as I know, this ingenious contraption was spread across the internet by the Shibaguyz.  I discovered the Shibaguyz while I was living in DC, and was so excited when I moved to Olympia and they were *gasp* in Seattle!  That meant I got to be a fangirl in person at the West Seattle Edible Garden fair, where they gave a panel on container and small space gardening.  They are experts at growing an incredible amount of food in a very small space.  The potato condo is only the beginning.

We’re not small space or rental gardeners any more, but I still wanted a potato condo.  So when my wonderful neighbors gifted me with some seed potatoes ready to go, I knew it was time.

What You Need

First of all, salvaged wood.  Salvaged from a friend’s garage.  She was super-awesome and did ALL the cutting for me!

2x2s – Four of them, tallish (the eventual height of your condo)
2x4s – A bunch, depending on the dimensions of the condo you intend to build.  However, you won’t need them all at once, so you can get more as your potatoes (and their condo) grow.
Screws – long enough to go through your 2x4s
Some sort of screwing device.  Me = electric drill = love.

Since my wood was leftover, my 2x2s are just the length they are.  They’re about 3’ tall, and I may need to rig something sneaky if my potatoes get substantially taller than that.  My 2x4s are 30 inchers and a set of 27 inchers, half each.  You can build a different size condo, and I’ve seen several sets of dimensions floating around on the internet.  Whatever size you choose, you have to be sure you have room for your long boards to overlap your short boards on the corners – 3” total.  So you could also do 33s and 30s, 36s and 33s, etc.

Second, a spot – make sure that whatever spot you choose will have enough sun.  For me, because I live in a jungle, choosing a spot also involved mowing.  I probably should have flipped the grass where I put the condo, but I didn’t.  Because I’m a rebel *cough lazy cough* like that.

Third, seed potatoes ready to plant.  Don’t forget the potatoes!

What Next?

Next, you build.  And if you’re like me, you do it without any kind of foresight or planning.  And then you have to take it apart and do it the right way.  So don’t be like me.

First, attach one of your SHORT 2x4s board to two of your 2x2s, one at each end.  (This pic is me doing it WRONG.  Don’t be like me.  Use a short board.)

Once you’ve done that with two short boards and each of your 2x2s, attach the two Stonehenge-shaped pieces with two of your longer boards to make a box.

Half the box, and…

Whole box!

As you can see, I added soil.  And then I added potatoes.

Please don’t use my potato spacing as an example.  Unless it’s right, in which case go ahead. No guarantees though.

Then cover up those potatoes.  Voila!

The Fun Part

So what on earth do you do with that whole pile of 2x4s?  Here comes the fun part – putting the “condo” in potato condo.  Soon your potatoes will sprout and start to grow.  As they grow, you add boards and additional soil one level at a time.  Let your vines get about 12” long before you bury them, and only cover 1/3 of the vine.

When it’s time to harvest, remove one of your bottom boards and start snagging your oldest potatoes from the bottom level.  Gradually work your way up the condo until you’ve harvested all your potatoes!

I’m really excited to see how the potato condo works out.  Rumor has it that it increases yields substantially over standard planting methods.  I have no perspective on that, but I’ll keep you guys posted.  Maybe those of you who actually know about these things will let me know how my potato condo measures up!

Related posts:

1. How To Build A Lasagna Garden For Free – Part 1
2. How To Build A Lasagna Garden For Free – Part 2

Last Saturday, I headed over to the West Seattle Edible Garden Fair to see the sights and learn some stuff. There were booths, food, and even goats! And, of course, tons of plants. If I had been more prepared, I would have brought some home with me. Probably way too many, so maybe it was a good thing that I had nowhere to put them. And that my boyfriend went along for the ride to be a force of reason in the face of my over-enthusiasm.

The best part of the event was definitely the panels. The event included a full day of panels and presentations on everything from gardening in small spaces to raising goats, bees and chickens (I wasn’t allowed to go to this one – we don’t need any more furry family members!). One presentation was especially exciting for me, since I got to be a blogger fangirl for the first time ever!

Two of my favorite bloggers were there, giving a presentation on small space and container gardening. And what a topic for them! In case you are not familiar with them – and you should be! – the Shibaguyz are a pair of guys with a pair of dogs who are doing some amazing things with urban and community gardening in Seattle. Once you take a look at their Jungle, you realize that you have no excuse to not grow things.

I came out of the day’s presentations reinvigorated and inspired to come home and take on My Project. Time to stop writing about everyone growing their own food and actually put my shovel where my keyboard is. But then we pulled into the driveway and my excuses sounded more like reasons again.

You see, while we are not technically “small space” gardeners, we are rental gardeners. I can’t put a big square bed in the back. I can’t build raised beds because it will kill the grass. And we don’t know how long we are going to be here.

But what is most relevant at the moment is that our house has stood vacant for a year.

We inherited this.

And this.

And also this bed over there (notice the neighbor’s pretty beds in the background).

I know there’s a juniper in there. I think that tall thing may be a very unhappy rose bush. That third bush thing – who knows? Plus lots of clover, grass, dandelions, and those big tall spiky weeds.

We’re not short on space. I just somehow have to take it back from the weeds.

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