This little building was the front porch to the mobile home we lived in on the farm while we decided what we wanted to build for a home and while we were building it. When we did build our home and sold our mobile home, we detached the porch and moved it to the back of our garage for a storage shed.
The porch didn't have a permanent back wall so that needed to be added and Steve installed a great window in the rear wall as well. New permanent, bug proof flooring is going down and lattice work around the bottom. In the next week or so Mom and I will make curtains for all ten windows and start getting the inside set up. The response has been very positive from everyone we have mentioned it to and customers from last year are calling and anxious to come and shop :) It will be great to be able to offer extended hours instead of just Saturday mornings and I can still work here when we aren't busy. I'll be sure to post more of the fun details as we get closer to the grand opening! 
Moving the porch with the tractor
While Steve was busy on the porch, Tom, Mom and I were planting potatoes. 25 pounds of Maine Kennebecs are in. We tried a new planting method this year. Instead of planting seed potatoes in a row or hill and then hoeing the dirt up around them as the plant grows, with this method you dig a hole with post hole diggers 12" deep. Add 2" of compost, a little rock phosphate and your seed potato. Add 2" of soil and water. When the plant is 2" high, cover with the dirt you pulled out of the hole and so on. Once your plant is up out of the hole, mulch well and let your spuds grow. To me, this is much easier than hoeing the dirt up around the plant as it grows - definitely much easier on my back. Has anyone ever tried this before? I'll let you all know how it works out. We did do a couple of traditional rows to compare the results :)
Steve has Monday off so it will be a working holiday here. I wouldn't want to be anywhere else :)
Have a great Memorial Day ~
14 comments:
Wish I could shop at your stand, but the commute is a bit far. I like your idea for growing potatoes. I am thinking of "new potatoes and peas" right now. Best wishes on your big project. I hope you post more as it progresses.
This sounds like a great idea! Good luck with your new business venture. If I was a bit closer I would come and shop at your stand :)
I have always dug holes for potatoes. I keep filling in as the spuds shoot up their leaves. We hardly get any rain....I don't want what little we get to run off hills. This works great for me. Hope you have good luck with yours!
The farm stand idea is just awesome.....what a wonderful way to sell your produce and even sneak in some of that beautiful yarn/roving to sell;) Your planting hints for tomatoes and cabbage in your other post made my day as last year I fought with both of those pesty worms! Thanks Deb for your ideas:) Enjoy this beautiful weekend!!
Great idea. I love the look of the old porch.
What a wonderful way to 'recycle' your old porch! I can see how you would develop an ever-growing group of regular customers as people in your area become familiar with your stand and your products. You've got a great thing going there!!
I need a porch like that for my RV. Having the farm stand on your property is so wonderful. I love it when people love their homes and wouldn't want to be anywhere else, fortunately that's how I feel too. :-)
Every thing that is old is new again. A old porch to a new roadside farm stand. A great idea for the old porch and the potatos are something I think I'm going to try a few of myself. Great ideas.
Leenie,
That would be quite the commute! I'll be sure to keep the progress reports coming :)
Candy,
Thanks very much. I'd love to have you visit as well :)
Sue,
We thought the hole idea made perfect sense. I"m so glad it's been successful for you - hopefully it will be for us as well.
Kristi,
Kristi,
I love to learn new ideas and tips about my gardens. Hope these work for you and me both!
Your gardens looks great!
Lisa,
Thanks - that old porch has certainly served us well so far. I'm real excited about setting up the farm stand.
Nancy K,
Thank you :) It's been a great way to meet our neighbors and to re-introduce fresh veggies, meat,eggs, fiber goods, etc., to folks who have the "grocery store" habit.
Joanna,
A porch like that would be great on your beautiful RV.....like you, I LOVE home...I'm very lucky to be able to have all of this on the farm :)
Adkins Family Farm,
Recycling is something we practice often and this just made perfect sense.
Hope your potatoes do well for you - they are fun to grow and such fun to dig and eat!
Thanks so much for visiting :)
Wow what a great idea! I'm jealous - here in "progressive" Oregon you would be slapped with a stop work order immediately until you shelled out thousands of $$ for various permits!
Your customers are going to be very pleased I am sure :)
Your own market...what a great idea. Just the time you save from hauling your items to sell with be worth it. Potatoes...I just don't know. I tried them in tires last year and did horrible. I remember growing tons as a kid, but the two years I've tried I've not had much success. Hopefully this year will be better.
What a great idea. Wish I were close enough to shop there. I can't wait to see the finished product filled with produce.
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