Babydoll Acres

09/26/2026

some progress is so quiet you don't notice it while it's happening.

but you kept trying. you kept learning. you kept moving, even on the days when it didn't feel like much.

that counts. 🤍

03/27/2026

03/27/2026

Save massive amounts of garden space and end the struggle of digging through heavy mud by growing your potatoes in a vertical stack of crates.

Growing potatoes in the ground requires hours of heavy digging and constant bending over to pile up dirt as the plants get taller. Most people run out of garden space because a single row of potatoes takes up several feet of valuable soil. A vertical tower solves these problems by using upward space and making the harvest as easy as tipping over a box. You will never accidentally slice a potato with a sharp shovel again because you do not need tools to find your food.

This vertical method keeps your plants away from many ground dwelling pests and provides perfect drainage so your crop never rots in soggy dirt. You can grow dozens of potatoes in a space only fourteen inches wide which leaves more room for your other vegetables. The stacked design also makes it very easy to add more soil as the vines grow without making a huge mess in your yard.

You should start by placing one plastic milk crate on a flat patch of ground in a sunny spot. Line the inside of the crate with a thick layer of wheat straw to act as a basket that keeps your dirt from falling out of the holes. Fill the bottom six inches of the crate with a mix of potting soil and organic compost.

Place four seed potatoes of the 'Yukon Gold' variety on top of the soil and cover them with four more inches of your dirt mix. Water the crate until the soil is damp but not soaking wet. Wait for the green leafy stems to grow about eight inches tall before you move to the next step.

Place a second milk crate directly on top of the first one and add more straw lining around the sides. Fill this new section with soil until only the very top leaves of the potato plant are showing. Repeat this stacking process until you have three crates high to maximize your harvest.

Be aware that the green leaves and raw tubers of potato plants are toxic to dogs because they contain a natural chemical called solanine. Keeping your potatoes in these high crates helps keep them away from curious pets but you should still keep an eye on them.

Harvest your potatoes when the green vines turn yellow and start to die back in late summer. Simply unstack the crates and dump the contents onto a tarp to find all your fresh veggies hiding in the straw and dirt.

Store your harvested potatoes in a cool and dark place like a basement to keep them from turning green and becoming bitter.

03/27/2026

03/27/2026

The story of Scotland’s lost tree is straight out of The Lord of the Rings.

In Tolkien’s tale, the Ents are a race of sapient trees whose numbers have dwindled. They've lost the Entwives – and without them, their line cannot flourish.

So it is with aspen in Scotland. Trees are either male or female, and reproduction depends on having both in the same place.

But aspen survives only in scattered fragments across the country. On the rare occasions it flowers, males and females are often too widely spaced for pollen to travel between trees and allow seed to form.

Like Tolkien's tree-folk, aspen is surviving – but not thriving.

In the story, the Ents never find the Entwives, and they’re destined to fade into legend. But for Scotland’s lost tree, the ending is still ours to write. By planting and protecting aspen, and restoring connection between male and female trees, we can help it find its way home.

👇 Find out more about our campaign (link in comments) 👇



🎨 Illustration by Sophie Aldred

03/27/2026

The University of Wisconsin-Madison Division of Extension is hosting a “Parasite Patrol - Plus” workshop for all sheep and goat producers.