I have a drawer full of them (bags that is) - as I'm a horder and couldn't bear to throw them out over the years, the pile has grown bigger and bigger.

I dug up my first ever harvest of spuds (I'm so proud of myself!) this morning but couldn't work out what I was going to use to store them in...buckets are no good long term, paper rubbish bags are too big to use and the paper bags sold at crafts stores are too small and flimsy.

Don't know what made me remember the clothes bags but I'm glad I did! Perfect size, handles, strong, no problems standing upright, and come with reinforced bottoms...brilliant. Now the floor of my pantry looks like an advert for all the major retail stores in Hamilton!

Of course, all you seasoned gardeners no doubt cottoned onto these fantastic bags ages ago! Oh well, at least I can say I'm learning as well as catching onto the recycling bug!

That's my brilliant flash of inspiraion for today, going off to post this on the newbie board too to help others.
GF

In the olden days you could have used chaff sacks made from jute. They're still around, though not too common any more. Replaced by those useless woven plastic things that fall apart quicker than new pantihose. Not worth recycling.

I wonder if there's a mini-market for produce storage bags in fabric or paper. Pull-tie tops and sturdy carrying handles. Totally agree that buckets are less than best.

We could ask Nandor Tanczos for some of his hemp ones, at a pinch! The blokes in the hemp industry would probably appreciate the chance to show their wares.

Congratulations on your first harvest. Now for the mint and the butter and a feast!

What a coincidence! Do tell. What's it made of and how much does it take?

Had my first feed of them last night- ohhhh they were sooooo yummy! I've got the market cornered for gormet potatoes though. One of my potato pillars (tried the stack-a-tyre method) produced gazillions of jellybean sized spuds....not sure what went wrong as the seed spuds were same variety as in my other stacks and I treated it the same as the others. Ah well, these will be my mashing ones I guess, don't think there is a peeler small enough for these 'uns!!!
Reckon I can sell them for $15/100g to posh restaurants?

Hey Doona, I've seen a couple of companies over here advertising these, they look pretty neat. Will you let us know if they work o.k?

If you can do it without cracking up...

I'm not sure the tower of tyres is all that successful. I found that the soil out at the edges dried out very quickly. A chap I know, keen hydronics man with most of his back yard engulfed by his system, grew his spuds in those laundrey bin-size plastic containers in the same way as the tyre system, but with plump results. No droughty areas in the growing column.

If the baggies were sold at the same time as the seed spuds - a double helping of hope! Perhaps with the varieties stencilled onto the fabric.

Which spuds grow best in Waikato? (Apart from the Jellybean Gourmet, of course!) And have you tried any of those Southland gourmet packs in the little cardboard boxes?

My favourite is the Desiree. I like how it cooks. Not sure how it does for roasting and chips, but great for little feasts and potato salad.

"Those laundrey bin-sized plastic containers" your friend used - are they the ones that hydroponic ferts come in? I wonder if there are any hydroponic growers near me that I can beg some containers from!

The spuds I've just harvested were Ilam Hardy - Mum suggested they'd be a good variety to start with as they're a short term crop (I think that's the right way of describing them), and if I wanted, I can plant a second crop after harvesting the first. I don't think I'll worry about planting out a second crop though as the humuidity has been rapidly creeping up - methinks I can do without blight!

Mum grows both Rua, Ilam Hardy and Desiree. I know there were about 3-4 other varieties for sale when I bought my seed spuds, but can't for the life of me remember what they were!

Can't say I have tried the Southland gourmet packs - you mean to say someone else sll ready has the market?!!!! Damn, guess I'll have to find something else!