Edible Balcony - Potato Plantings

Well, as I digest the Australian election results, I sense not only a change of season from autumn to spring but a change in political consciousness. From my edible balcony the future is looking exciting. After a dismal policy-free election campaign, the last few days have seen a reinvigorated national debate about climate change and ethical governance.

My philosophy is simple: If you want to change the world, change what you put on your plate.

My humble edibles, such as this dwarf meyer lemon tree, won't feed the world or even my family but they have reconnected me with the natural order that cities have subverted and given me a sense of sovereignty over my food supply.

We are not separate from nature. We ARE nature. Watching my garlic grow over these six months reminds me that time can't be rushed or controlled. Every living thing has a season.

And now it is potato season.

My four seeded potato varieites arrived in the mail yesterday from Diggers. Potatoes with seeds or eyes maximises the amount of potatoes in your crop.

I've selected desiree, banana, royal blue and symphonia.

I'm using recycled plastic potato planter bags.

They have several holes around the base for good drainage and their height allows for a larger crop (hopefully)

First in is some straw - in this case I'm using organic sugarcane mulch.

Then a layer of some wonderfully rich, aged cow manure from the Gundooee Organics Wagyu beef farm near Mudgee that my mate Rob Lennon dropped around on the weekend.

The seeded potatoes are lowered in and then topped with some blood and bone and about ten cenitmetres of potting mix. As their green shoots appear I'll keep topping up the bag with more straw and manure and... viola! in three months' time it will be time to dig up my crop!