a day in the life of a latvian mom

Jānis decided that, considering the situation in the world — living next to an aggressor country and having Donald Trump as the president of the USA — we should plant potatoes!

Honestly… fair enough 😅

My answer was simple: “No problem. Talk to your dad — he has a tractor and knows what he’s doing.”

So he did. And so… we planted potatoes. On May 12 – why not.

I absolutely love that old Belarus T-40 tractor. It’s probably from the 1960s or 70s, never fully functioning, always making strange noises, slightly leaking something somewhere… but somehow still alive and working.

Back in autumn, Jānis’ dad plowed the future veggie garden area for me. As you already know, those plans were changed and I have raised beds. So the spot is free!

And honestly — why not use it?

First the soil gets plowed in autumn, then tilled in spring, stones are picked out, furrows are made, and finally the potatoes are planted. A proper countryside process. Love it!

So now we have five furrows of potatoes.

The best part? Potatoes are surprisingly low-maintenance here. We mostly just let them grow (well, few times Jānis dad will come to harrow the potatoes and hope for rain at the right moments. The only real job is dealing with Colorado beetles… and I hate that task with passion.

But with five furrows and five family members, we should be able to deal with the beetles quickly enough 😅

Now all that’s left is to hope they grow well.

Ilze