Hunter was assigned the job of raising food for our new bug project (which is food for the chickens). Turns out that an efficient food source is potatoes! They carry enough moisture for the bugs to live without a water source, and are long lasting sources of food. So, he is growing potatoes as bug food.
Instead of rows of potatoes to dig up one at a time... He is building a vertical garden,. A box made of wood, that expands upward as the plants grow, causing them to produce layer after layer of potatoes from the original plants. Much more efficient than waiting for a plant to grow big and pulling it out.
The idea is to plant potatoes on the ground inside the wood box with a single greatest 2x6 as a bed. Once the plants are tall enough, another layer of 2x6 goes in and the plan5er is filled with more dirt, leaving the plant partially under the new dirt. A new layer of potatoes is created at this layer, and the layer below can be harvested without killing the plant.
Hopefully with a few of these boxes, he can raise enough potatoes to feed a hundred thousand mealworms in a small spot of real-estate.
Old bee boxes work really good for growing potatoes in this manner. also old water troughs that leak.
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