Striving for self-sufficiency: Not quite reality

One thing I have learned by being a homeowner on the property I chose is as hard as I strive for self-sufficiency, I cannot quite make it in suburbia. Oh, I have made modest gains in supplying my own food, decreasing the amount of lawn, using rain water and decreasing my use of potable water, but I only occasionally eat homegrown food. I still rely heavily on grocery stores for the main share of my food.

And while I compost my food and yard waste, some spoiled food still makes it into the garbage bin. Plus I need to import composted horse manure to supply most of my compost needs in the garden. I still buy most of my seeds, buy the seed starting medium but am able to reuse items around the house for seed-starting containers. While I use all the leaves I can on my property, I still need more leaves to chop and use for mulch. This is where neighbor's piles come in handy. Both imports mentioned here (leaves and compost) are gained through hard work and minimum distance traveled, but still need to be brought onsite to accomplish what I need done.

I have planted all the trees on my property and unfortunately, none of them will be for food use. However, they were planted to shade the house and reduce cooling costs in the summer. As we are undergoing record heat in May where it feels more like July, this is definitely something I desire. Too bad the payoff is in the future, not the present, but the four additional trees will add value when I sell my property. The fifth one is too far away for shade, but does add beauty as it flowers in the spring. Another item reused extensively are the rocks I discovered as I dug all the holes for the trees. While the rocks jarred my arms as my shovel hit them, I have been able to line the bottom of potted plants, hold down newspaper, cardboard and straw, mark the location for succession planting and edge a foundation bed with the limestone. I have a modest suburban rock pile, but it has served me well.

However, I keep as much as I can onsite, only occasionally exporting items (rose bush and raspberry shrub trimmings with plans to rectify the situation this year) and importing vast quantities. However, I am decreasing my reliance on the conventional system for my needs by outsourcing to curb shopping, growing my own food, generating my own fertilizer (compost), using gray water and rain water, reusing items rather than choosing disposable ones, shopping secondhand and being frugal. All these actions align with my personal values. So while I still commute daily to a job in my gas-guzzling car and rely on this form of transportation over most others, I strive to make all I do at home count and slowly increase my self-sufficiency even if I know I cannot supply all my needs onsite.

The life of a scavenging gardener

Much of my attention currently is focused on my garden. I am happily harvesting asparagus from my patch between the sidewalk and street, eyeing up the healthy rhubarb plants and looking forward to my first black raspberry harvest. I am also planting annual crops, figuring out among all my gardening spots where to put all the seeds I want to sow or plants I have started. I am also looking to fill in the native plants in the garden at the front of my house.

What do I mean by scavenging? Much of my recent venture was determined by craigslist. Because I had a rectangular recycling bin that was no longer needed for recycling, I wondered what to do with it. I had the brilliant idea to use it as a big planting pot as it had four holes in the bottom that would work for drainage. Also, I use five-quart ice cream buckets in various capacities around the house, but there gets to be a point where they are no longer fit for hauling stuff to the compost bin. Well, I have wanted to dress up the step to my front door. What if I use the ice cream buckets to plant annuals like impatiens? Plus I just used up paint in a metal can. That would work too! And hey, I could dress up the plastic and metal with some spray paint.

I found someone giving away garden soil on craigslist. All I needed to do was provide my own method of hauling said soil. So armed with my trusty shovel, two five-gallon buckets and two thick plastic bags that previously held either mulch or cat litter, I made my way to the person's home. As if digging and moving dirt was not work enough, his house was on a hillside so I had the challenge of hauling bags and buckets up an incline. This dirt haul was complemented by $1 per plant bee balm another person was selling off craigslist on the honor system. I chose two and stashed them in my car for later as I was getting plants and dirt over the lunch hour.

I also share a company-sponsored garden plot with three other people and wanted to get my sweet corn in the ground. However, I had forgotten my nitrogen-rich dried blood. Because I had access to two coffee pots and the leftover coffee grounds, another source of nitrogen, I decided to use the available two filters of coffee grounds. I mixed it with the composted horse manure (hauled for free a couple weeks ago) and planted four hills of corn in the garden plot after work. This was a good choice as rain started overnight.

When I finally reached my home, I layered my free dirt with composted horse manure in the recycling bin, the holes covered with rocks from around my house, likely uncovered when digging holes for my trees. I planted the last set of my onion plants and watered well. Finally, I dug two holes for my new bee balm plants and installed them with a boost of compost. I did encounter lava rock, a legacy mulch from a previous owner. These I plan on lining the bottom of my ice cream buckets once painted.

I still have dirt left from my haul, but less than I desire. With a bit more time, my scavenged dirt, inexpensive plants and repurposed materials will yield more food for me and more beauty for my home.

What will you reuse or repurpose in the garden?

Trying to keep up

RIght now is the time several homeowner projects are demanding my time. I love my rain barrels, but before I could install them, I needed to paint the siding they block when in place. Why? The exterior paint was cracking and to keep my home in good shape for the future, I needed to scrape off the loose paint, prime the surface and then put on two coats of paint. Each time I went outside, that was 30 minutes invested in painting, not including set up, ensuring all the tools were there and mixing the primer and paint. Luckily, the weather cooperated so painting done in two days.

Then the rain barrels needed to be installed. No rain is predicted for the next two days, but my area is dry and I will need all the reserve supply I can get for my garden. However, I had not cleaned the gutters and organic debris in the rain water collection barrels is not a good thing. My elderly neighbor was kind enough to loan me his ladder so I carefully made my way up and down to remove the leaves and debris from my gutters. A quick rinse with the hose and I am ready for rain to arrive.

Of course, being spring, I have several seedlings in the greenhouse, garden beds to prepare and sown peas peaking through the soil. The tender greens mean I need to protect them from dastardly rabbits who enjoy seedlings as snacks. So after some grassy trimming and some moved fencing, I had successfully enclosed the garden bed.

All this work I have done demonstrated I was prepared for all the tasks I needed to perform. Since I had previously painted the exterior of my home, I had enough painting supplies to apply any primer or paint needed. I also had a gallon and a quarter of paint expressly for repainting the exterior because I need to maintain my home's wood siding. Thus, I just needed to retrieve the items from my basement and I was in the painting business. The rain barrels were washed last fall and stored in my garage. It was an easy task to switch the diverter on my downspout to active and hook up my rain barrels.

As for protecting my gardens, because there were plants last year I needed to protect that this year are more mature, I had enough fencing and posts to cover my newly planted peas by cannibalizing what I had. Having all the supplies I needed on hand (with additional items on hand) and a kind neighbor, I was able to just tell myself "get started on this task today" and the project was accomplished.

Now I just need more composted horse manure and some time before the rain and I will plant more of my garden!

Gardening the scavenger's way

Gardening is a wonderful pastime. You spend time outside doing physical activity, enjoy some fresh air, take pride in the beauty and bounty you planted and maintain. Right now all I can see is all the work I have to do: adding more mulch and compost, getting the seedlings started and planning where to put all the plants. I have written previously about low-cost gardening ideas (here and here) with a few more options to keep input costs down while maximizing enjoyment.

Coffee grounds
I am not a coffee drinker, but I had read much about the nitrogen boost that coffee grounds can give gardens. I have access to a couple coffee pots at work so I collect the grounds, filter and all, at the end of the day. I put the coffee grounds in a bucket and compost the filter. Acid-loving plants enjoy coffee grounds, but modest amounts of coffee grounds are also welcomed by other plants.

If scavenging from your colleagues at work is not your cup of coffee, visit local coffee shops. With gardening season coming into full swing, many places will save the grounds for anyone who asks. Win for you (nutrients for the garden), win for them (organic material not going into a landfill).

Grass clippings
I mulch my grass back into the ground when mowing as I like returning the nutrients to the soil. However, many people see grass clippings as nusiance and catch the clippings and leave it on the curb. This is great material for mulching garden beds. Keep an eye out for homes where people pile they grass clippings for collection and come back with a rake and containers in which to put the grass. Leave the curb as neatly as you found it and keep the spot in mind if you need more.

Grass clippings (and coffee grounds) are great on the compost pile as well. If you have plenty of leaves, paper, cardboard or other carbon-rich items, add some nitrogen-rich material like fresh grass clippings and coffee grounds. The pile will break down faster and available for use in the garden.

Odds and ends on the curb
People get rid of many items that can be repurposed in the garden. Right now, I am looking for pole-like items that I can use to support my pole beans. It could be lengths of lumber, broom handles or PVC piping, but all would be welcomed to build a tripod structure for my beans to climb. Other bits that can be useful and found on the curb include metal head boards (for trellises), metal poles (for anchoring fencing or keeping hoses out of the garden bed when dragged around), reclaimed furniture (for outdoor use) and the list goes on. If your neighbor is throwing away something, imagine how it might be used to enhance your outdoor space.

Repurposing items
I have started a variety of seedlings in my basement. Most of them were sowed in repurposed containers (e.g., yogurt) and drip trays (e.g., styrofoam takeout trays). The commercial starting trays do take up less space, but I prefer to use what I have on hand. I have been collecting yogurt containers since last year and am grateful I had more than enough for my purposes. Many bits of plastic packaging like the kind that are affixed to cardboard back, are flat and can be used as watering trays so I can water from the bottom. I like this because most of that plastic has no number and cannot be recycled. Anytime I get more use out of something that is disposable makes me feel good.

Milk jugs and 2L soda bottles can be used as mini greenhouses after seedlings are planted outside and it gets chillier than the plant likes. Just cut off the bottom and slip it over the plant. When the weather is warm, remove the cap; when it is cold, put it back in place. With warm enough temperatures past the threat of frost, remove the bottle or jug and enjoy the growing plant.

I am looking forward to the garden this year as I really miss all my fresh fruit and vegetables. Using up the last of the frozen veggies make me even more eager to get out and grow more peas and beans. Reducing the costs of gardening with creative scavenging and reuse makes me proud of what I can do without spending money.

Do you have more suggestions?

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Overwhelmed by my garden!

Sometimes the garden bounty is too much. My plans for my cucumbers this year included pickling with some jalapenos to create hot pickles for my brother for Christmas. I have never pickled anything before--a new task for me to try--and an easy way to create a gift. Or so I thought. However, early destruction of half my cucumber plants had me worried that I would not have enough to make pickles.

I also started the Early Jalapeno peppers later than the rest of my seedlings so I had blossoms on my cucumbers while the pepper was still growing. Okay, poor planning on my part but I could still pickle my cucumbers, right? If I catch them in time.

Every time I visit the garden, which is daily with all the green beans coming in, I find another slicing cucumber or two. While this is not bad alone, I wanted pickling cucumbers, which are smaller, and I am only one person. I like cucumbers but not that much! So what do I do? Hope I catch the cucumbers earlier and give away my produce. I would have thought with only two plants, I could keep up with the cucumbers but I have proven that false. The darn things hide, I swear!

Here is hoping I run out of cucumbers before I run out of neighbors and friends!

Summer garden update

My garden and its harvest is keeping me busier than I anticipated. With sparse rain, I have to water the garden using captured rain water. Weeds seem to have gotten away from me and my asparagus trench needs to be filled in. Too bad I lack enough dirt to do so. (Can you help, Dad?) And my future plans include converting more of my lawn to grow food. Is putting in a garden and laboring over it worth my time?

This is all part of my learning process. Just because I grew up on a farm and my mom had a large garden does not translate into instant ability to grow things. I have lost corn seeds, corn seedlings, herbs, cucumbers, carrots and beans to various predators of the insect or mammalian variety. I am still uncertain what was attacking my beans but have accepted the loss as part of vagaries of gardening.

So far I have harvested 70 ounces of strawberries, two garlic scapes, 25 ounces of peas (includes the pod) and 8 cups of rhubarb from my garden. I purchased ~35 pounds of strawberries either at a u-pick farm or from the farmer's market, and I picked 14 cups of rhubarb from a friend's house.

My own strawberry harvest took at least a 25% hit from insect damage and ~25 ounces of pea pods has given me about a cup and a quarter of peas. Since picking peas is still new to me, I harvested pods before the peas had matured. The garlic scapes are too new for me to incorporate them easily into my diet but part of the reason I put in a garden was to try new things, both growing and eating them.

I estimate my 3.3 pounds of strawberries was worth ~$13 at a farmer's market.
My 8 cup rhubarb harvest is worth ~$6.50 at the farmer's market.
The garlic scapes are worth less than $1 since I saw one vender at my regular farmer's market selling garlic scapes for $2.50 for 1/2 pound.
The 21 ounces of Romaine-type lettuce was worth ~$3.50
My current 12 ounce pea harvest is worth ~$5.00 with more on the vine.

My garden is in a holding pattern between the early and midseason crops. The garlic and onions are nearly ready and blossoming potatoes means I can harvest small ones while the beans and solo pepper plant have only started blooming. My corn has tassels and silks, my plants are loading up with green tomatoes, the carrots seem healthy and the cucumbers are tiny. I am hoping to plant some broccoli and carrots for the fall. My herbs are still in small pots and need to be transplanted. I plan on getting around to it before cooler weather settles in--permanently. Surveying the garden, picking wild black raspberries and fighting Japanese beetles are taking a goodly share of my time. My next post will address some changes to saving my money.

Gardening can be discouraging

I have spent a lot of time over the three and a half years I have lived in my house digging, planting and otherwise altering the landscape to my liking. In the last two years, I have become more serious about raising my own food. Despite all my best efforts (and many of my lazy ones), it is still an uphill battle.

I have killed one tree only 12 inches tall because I did not water it enough. I have planted hostas that may or may not have returned the next year; ditto with phlox and a daylily. I have a half-hearted attempt at a return from one of six nodding pink onions I planted. My butterfly weed has pulled a vanishing act (hardy native plant--yeah right) and I only imagined planting all those tulips and crocuses.

However, the most frustrating is trying to grow your own food and pests have decided to interfere. My beans, mostly bush type, are looking quite tattered. I have no idea what insect is the cause. The tops of my good-looking carrots are looking shorter and more naked--is an adventurous squirrel or another animal getting through my fencing? My cucumbers are looking stunted and a corn plant was sacrificed to the appetite of one of those bunnies I see running through the neighborhood.

I put up more fencing, I tried to protect the carrots by caging them (no free-range carrots for me) and I am hoping I see some beans this year. At least the lettuce, tomatoes, onions, garlic and potatoes are looking good. The strawberries have been nibbled on but are mostly intact.

Why do I list all these incidents? Because it can be frustrating. Weeds are a constant battle. Successfully growing what you want among items you are not so fond of is a challenge. I just keep trying at the homestead, keeping plants as healthy as I can and experiment with compost topdressing, more mulch, liquid fertilizer and judicious watering. I try to learn from my errors and try again, even if weeds get the better of me. It will all work out, right? The bean harvest just may be lighter than I hoped for.

Like my financial plans, I keep doing the best I can and examine my progress at the end of the year. If nothing else, I have shaved 15 minutes off my lawn mowing time.

What gardening means to me

This is the time of year where gardening becomes an all-consuming activity as the work has to be done now. Since all my raised garden beds are now full of topsoil and the weather is warm, I am in the middle of mapping out the best arrangement, amending the soil, sowing seeds and transplanting seedlings. My strawberries are blooming, my asparagus crowns are making an appearance almost 20 days after planting, my peas are coming up and my greenhouse is still in service.

However, it is easy to get overwhelmed--and behind. In fact, I had to push myself to plant some lettuce, carrots, peas and beans by saying "What if your garden is your only source of food?" The truth is relying on my garden for self-sufficiency would have me starving. I only have about 250 square feet of garden space right now, some of which still needs to be reclaimed from sod. While that is more than some people have available, I lack the space to grown sufficient amounts of food to feed myself for an entire year. The dandelion crop on my lawn is truly impressive but currently going to seed and honestly, I am not a fan of dandelion greens.

My motivation for planting a garden is twofold: self-sufficiency and less lawn to mow. Saying that I loathe mowing the lawn is strong but I prefer to put off mowing the grass for as long as I can. With the rains every few days and the cool spring temperatures, the grass (and weeds) are growing vigorously so mowing once a week is expected.

And while my garden is not ready to feed me for an entire year, I will take a few weeks. Plus, it is difficult to argue with fresh fruits and vegetables grown locally and picked at the peak of ripeness. The more I successfully grow and harvest, the better I improve my skills for the future when I have a larger plot of land, the healthier I eat, and the more I save by not having to buy the items in a grocery store. Gradually easing into the demands of my suburban plot, growing more food and figuring out what to do with all the homegrown produce helps me learn what I like to grow, what I do not like to grow or eat, and what techniques work best for me. I am a scientist at heart and I like to experiment. And if I get something delicious out of the deal, that is just a sweet reward.

Success and failure in the garden

I have found gardening to be a rewarding experience. While I could do without the invasive quack grass and always-stubborn dandelions in the middle of my garden beds, seeing the green plants break ground and grow, the flowering plants blossom and the edible plants mature always gives me a thrill. However, it take hard work and dealing with failure to get through the growing season.

To become more self-sufficient, I have expanded my growing space for fruits and vegetables. Furthermore, I would like to grow everything from seed to gain a portion of self-sufficiency and reduce my costs. Starting from seed means pots, soil and a sunny place to put the newly sown seeds. Pots were reused four-pack plastic containers from other plants I purchased and yogurt containers. To minimize my use of fossil fuels, I chose not to use the fluorescent grow lights I have nor did I buy a seedling mat. Instead, I used the four-shelf greenhouse I purchased used or when it was freezing overnight, brought in the pots and placed them on my kitchen table, which faces a southern exposure. Despite the hassle of shuttling my motley crew of seedlings, I noticed improved seedling vigor compared to the year before. Unfortunately, germination rates varied from 20-100% but I try to celebrate successes rather than failures.

Breaking sod is not easy and when I am determined to do it by hand, well, it can be tough. One way to make sod removal easier is to wait until after a rain. The sod will be heavier but easier to push a shovel or spade through and easier to dig in the dirt. It is still time consuming as I planted four Purple Passion asparagus roots in a hand-dug trench six feet long and 12 inches wide after working outside for one hour.

I also plant for beauty as well as for food. Some of my first attempts at new foundations plantings turned out to be a poor choice. I installed a purple phlox in the fall that never appeared the next spring. Moving an established white phlox also ended in nonregeneration for the following spring. The third time seems to be the charm--I see sign of the pink phlox I installed last fall. One of the five hosta plants I placed on the west side of my house has struggled with growing and showing up the next spring. I planted it in fall 2006 and see no sign of it this year. Tulips are doing moderately well, but I know I planted more than I am seeing now compared to spring 2007. I am still waiting on some native plants I installed in early summer and late autumn so the verdict is out on whether I have wild onions or little bluestem in my future. Luckily, I seem to have more success than failure with my flowers. Now if only the last two cloves of garlic would break ground...

I love seeing green things breaking ground and watching them grow. With my tulips blossoming, most of my trees leafing out and all my rhubarb letting the world know who is boss, I am looking forward to my 2009 garden. I still have to haul the rain barrels out of storage and the forecast is predicting rain.

Any news on your garden front? Do you have a favorite flower or plant you are proud of?

How to start gardening

My passion for gardening was uncovered during my three years of homeownership. While I have always had indoor plants in my home, I tried edible container gardening once and was dissatisfied with the results. With the ability to shape the landscape around my house and the raised garden bed on the west side of my home, I began to ask "what did I want?" One advantage I had was the landscaping was haphazard. There were some Korean boxwoods along the driveway, a poor choice for something that would always have snow piled on it in the winter, Juniper bushes along the front of the house and some orange daylilies on the southwest side of the foundation. There were two raised garden beds, one 3 feet by 3 feet with a Stella d'Oro daylily planted and a 9 feet by 9 feet bed with some nonproductive strawberries, a white phlox and lots of weeds. The property was topped off by a mature Green Ash tree on the southwest corner of the house.

I started with what I did not like, the juniper bushes, and had them ripped out. My first full winter demonstrated that the Korean boxwoods were ill suited for their location; I gave them away. My second year found me uninterested in the orange invasive daylilies so I gave away all of the roots that people could dig up.

My next step was to plant what I wanted. Summer demonstrated a single tree on the southwest corner was little protection for the east and southeast of the house. So I chose to plant more shade trees on the east, southeast and west sides of the house. I also chose native trees to plant with the exception of the park row tree. I also planted what I thought was pretty like pink phlox, red and purple daylilies and tulips. I make mowing around my mailbox more manageable by surrounding the area with pavers and planting tulips and crocuses. I moved the lone Asiatic lily from a shaded area where it was unable to bloom to full sun where it both bloomed and produced more lilies. I filled in empty areas around the foundation with hostas (and bleeding hearts) because they did well in partial to full shade. The former location of the juniper bushes became a bounty of native bushes and flowers. Other people gave away their landscaping or split off their plants so I could add variety to my own property.

I tried my hand at growing edibles in the large raised garden bed by planting what I liked (corn, onion, rhubarb, lettuce) and had a tiny harvest because I failed to test my soil. The next year, I fought fewer weeds and grew more food because the soil was heavily amended. I experimented with growing new things like cucumbers, beans, peas and carrots. I added a raised bed to grow strawberries and built raised beds to grow more vegetables. All the while I was planting and experimenting, I intended to put in two rain gardens and have not started one.

What is the moral of this story? Just try planting something. Like with my juniper bushes, it can be easier to figure out what you do not like than what you do. Start small, just a 12 inch square patch and toss in some tulip bulbs or set in a daylily. These are plants that are fairly easy to care for and add a lot of color and vibrancy. If you want to eat something, try beans or lettuce or even herbs. Grow for beauty, grow for food or grow for wild life. All are wonderful choices and add much to your life. There is something revitalizing and fascinating about green growing things, and I get excited as they grow and mature and flower.

Whether you start with a small patch of dirt or a large garden spread, the growing venture will reward you in both tangible and intangible ways. I rarely started my gardening knowing exactly what I wanted in a particular spot. I chose what I liked and hopefully was well-adapted to my property. If not, I either fixed the problem (e.g., amending the soil with the right nutrients) or tried again with a different plant.

What are you growing this year?

Is that spring I see?

In recent years, I have become inordinately excited over the smallest things like bulbs breaking ground and trees leafing out. Strangely enough, this coincided with my ownership of a house and changing the landscaping (and gardening) to suit my taste and interests. The little bits of greenery I thought I spotted at the end of February are now more than just little bits. My crocuses have bloomed and my tulips have leaves. As such, I feel the necessity to share such spring-like bounty with you:



Furthermore, I planted seeds a week ago and the basil, both varieties, are showing signs of life. I love seeing seeds germinating! My little four-shelf greenhouse is working as well as I had hoped even if I had to bring the pots with my seeds inside for a few days since nighttime temperatures were below freezing.

I am really excited about getting ready for gardening this year. My plans include planting more variety of fruits and vegetables. Last year, I planted onions, lettuce, peas, beans (green and dried), cucumbers, tomatoes, carrots and strawberries. I was able to harvest all but the carrots even if some harvests were paltry. This year, I am adding potatoes, corn, basil and oregano to my garden with a raised bed built for black raspberries. I am also considering planting some asparagus in the strip of land between my sidewalk and the road, but have not broken ground yet.

All this excitement about green things gets me in the mood for gardening and increased self-sufficiency. While my current gardening space does not bring me to food independence, each plant gives me flexibility in my food budget and brings me closer to my ideal. I know the plants were grown organically and I can learn what issues arise with growing said plant on a small scale. I learn how well or poorly I handle what to do with my produce, and I can experiment with canning and preserving to see which methods I prefer for each freshly picked vegetable. For example, I plan on growing some cucumbers to make pickles. I have never made pickles, but my family enjoys them. I can try making my own and giving them as gifts to family members.

I am prepared for failure even at this stage. Even though my basil seeds are germinating does not mean they will survive long enough to be planted outdoors. Learning to become more independent is not without its bumps in the road.

How are your gardening plans coming along?

Change is in the air and on the ground

Living in the upper Midwest of the United States as I do, winter is a part of life. I may whine and complain, but I do like the change of seasons, the cold and even the snow (as long as I don't have to drive in it or shovel it). This year, I have really been impatient for spring to take over from winter. There have been some days hinting at it, but the true measure are the tulips and crocuses breaking ground around my home. I thought I saw some green in a small raised bed on the south side of my home at the end of February, but last weekend, I took a closer look. Not only were the thin green leaves of crocuses popping up, but the tulips I planted in November 2007 and throughout 2008 were poking up from the ground. I cannot wait to see the plants burst into color and let me know that spring is truly on its way.

Part of my impatience for spring stems from wanting to get out in the garden. I love the smell of freshly turned earth in the early spring, the promise of growing things and the potential that all that gardening space has for growing my own food. My composter is beginning to revive, giving me more space to add to it. I have some tree branches and shrubs to prune and dead vegetation to remove and add to the compost pile. Plus I need to start some seeds so me, my finished compost, collected seedling trays, seed packets and a small, four-shelf greenhouse have an appointment for germination. Hopefully, I can grow my own and not kill them before they are ready for the outdoors.

Furthermore, I am eagerly awaiting my first outdoor clothes drying session of the year. The weather forecast for the weekend calls for 50 degrees Fahrenheit and sunny, great weather to be outside and drying laundry. I will take all the reduction in electricity use I can get. Soon enough, my dehumidifiers and central air conditioning will be increasing my kilowatt hours.

Are you eagerly awaiting the change in seasons?

Celebrate the new year with challenges!

Looking to a fresh new year means setting up new challenges for myself. While I am not ready to tackle a No Plastics Month, there are a few things I am going to try this year.

Buy Nothing Month
While there is no such thing as buying nothing, I plan to tackle February 2009 as no frivolous spending month. That means groceries and other necessities are allowed, but that cute sweater at the thrift store is not. While I may be selecting the shortest month of the year to do this, I am considering a second month this year to buy nothing. However, I will have to see how successful I am at saving money and keeping my spending to a minimum. I am not sure I can ignore craigslist and the thrift store for an entire month. Oh dear, I do have that hair appointment scheduled for February...

How Does Your Garden Grow?
I will be the first to admit my inherent laziness. In fact, I tend to work in bursts of activity, usually when the situation is so bad I have to do something or the thought of someone else seeing the messiness of my house spurs me to action. However, I want to keep track of the foodstuffs I grow and use in 2009. For example, I will note I planted five potato plants, three made it to maturity and I harvested five pounds of potatoes at the end of the season. I also plan on visiting the u-pick farm for strawberries and red raspberries as I did in 2008. Keeping track of how many quarts of berries I pick and how many jars of jam I make (and how long they last) will help me figure out if I need more or less, especially since I plan on giving away more jars of freezer jam. So, at least once a month during the growing season, I will be tallying what is growing, what I harvested and how it was stored.

Keep the Furnace Off
In 2008, my goal was to keep the furnace off until November 1. Due to a warm weather spell, I was able to hold off turning on the furnace until November 7 even if I had to suffer through 53 degrees Fahrenheit while showering in late October 2008. My new goal will be to beat that date and not turn on the furnace until November 8, 2009. Depending on how the autumn shapes up, this could be easy or difficult. It is hard to tell in the upper Midwest what type of weather to which we will be subjected since rain, snow, ice and flooding all occurred around Christmas 2008.

The reverse challenge, when to shut off the furnace, will come when I note the last time I use the furnace this spring. I assume that will be by April 1, 2009 but who knows what the weather will be like. By the time March comes around, I will pay closer attention to my furnace usage.

Are there any self-imposed challenges you are contemplating this year?

Planning for my long-term goals

Although I am on my way to converting the lawn on my suburban lot to growing food, my future plans include being able to keep animals, bees and vast numbers of fruit bushes and trees, something that my small lot cannot support nor is allowed by my city ordinances. As I look forward to my future farm in four years, what am I thinking about now to facilitate my plans?

Money
Plans I had for my current home will need to be limited to keep more future capital for the farm. This means the minor bathroom remodel and potential kitchen remodel are shelved. However, I will finish the window replacement, will consider additional attic insulation and need to persuade my neighbor to paint the wood exterior next year. Keeping and enhancing the value of my home will help me get the best price I can when I sell. At least that is my hope.

I will also really need to focus on saving additional money. In looking at my numbers, the best way to reach at least 5% down payment and enough cash to purchase trees, equipment and animals is to save another $175/month. Since this money is hard to find in my current income, I will have to get a second job or determine what alternative streams of income I can set up. This will require more thinking on my part to figure out what I can do to increase my savings.

To be honest, earning more money is where I really get hung up. I have a few ideas for self-employment, but nothing that has been executed. A couple ideas would be in highly competitive venues and I do not want to fight hard to earn some money. A second job in an established business would be best, but my city has a small list of job openings with few for which I am able to qualify. In addition, the job market for retail jobs has become quite tight recently.

Timeline
Deciding I will have a farm in spring 2012 and having one are two different things. Opportunity and ability to take said opportunity need to come together for me. I am certain my ideas and plans will be refined in the next 3.5 years. What is acceptable and important today will be modified by the time I truly implement my lifestyle change. I have just recently added beekeeping to my ideas for the farm and oddly enough, am debating myself about adding a dairy cow. This from a woman who made all sorts of excuses to get out of milking cows. What is the world coming to?

By the time I would like to purchase country property, the current economic issues will hopefully have eased. I do not want to find a place that will make me happy, but am unable to get a loan or cannot sell my house. I am in a better position to sell than some as housing values in my area have not declined much and my home is a starter home. However, where everything will be in four years is tough to say. I would like some equity from my home to help me in my new place.

Education
I was raised on a dairy farm and am familiar with crop farming. However, my dad is a conventional family farmer while I want to have a small organic farm that will at least sustain me if not generate a small income stream. Instead of the 85 head of Holsteins my dad milked regularly until 18 years ago, I want 3-4 sheep, maybe a cow, a couple of beehives, 6-12 chickens (egg layers and meat), a couple of geese and some farm cats to keep down the rodents. Rather than farming 1,000 acres of alfalfa, wheat, soybeans and corn, I want to grow veggies and fruits on a few acres. While I might be familiar with farming, I do not have the knowledge to farm how I want to do it.

Therefore, I need to find mentors, take classes and educate myself on what I need to know to make things work. I have been reading books, but that can only take me so far. Talking with someone knowledgeable and willing to share his or her experience is important to understanding more issues involved in what I want to do. My first couple tries in this matter have given mixed results. I need to find the right people that will support me in the manner I want. That mentorship can be difficult to find and challenging to foster. Classes would be a formalized way to instill knowledge and there are programs at the local university on various farm topics including sheep. I may consider exploring that next year. If I can get the knowledge and mentorship I need, I will be better prepared for starting and running my own farm.

Determination
I desire to return to the country. This call to have my own small farm is a new twist on the idea, but one I am thoroughly embracing. While I am surprised at the intensity and interest I have in owning and running a small organic farm, I want to see this through. Yes, I worry that despite my plans, my preparation, skills and money will not be enough to get me to a break-even point, much less making money at a farming endeavor. I may even fail miserably.

However, I am taking steps to get me to a level I can tackle starting a garden bigger than 100 square feet. I am learning what I need to do to plant crops successively on depleted soil, how to amend it, how to expand a garden and how much time it takes to get started and support 210 square feet rather than 81 square feet. How much mulch, compost and other amendments do I need? How long do I have to wait until I can harvest a crop? Do I need to wait years, months or weeks? How do I deal with rodents? The experience on my small suburban lot can translate to a larger garden and converting lawn to garden space will also prove useful. Learning is not only classwork and reading, but doing. I may not be able to practice animal husbandry on my current property, but I can grow as many different fruits and vegetables as the land can support with correct sun exposure and between trees. Building knowledge and confidence is a good thing.

Surprise harvest: Strawberries in November

I have written endlessly about gardening, my garden plans and my new gardening areas including my raised strawberry pyramid. Well, Sunday November 9, I was picking strawberries in freezing temperatures (30 degrees Fahrenheit) with little flecks of snow sprinkling on me and the strawberry plants. Talk about a disconcerting experience--picking strawberries in November in the upper Midwest! The snow is not enough to do anything but add flecks of white, but not how I imagined my strawberry harvest would take me this year (or any year). I guess when the Jung's catalog says Ozark Beauty is an everbearing strawberry plant, they are not kidding. With freezing temperatures, I am not sure how long I can expect any berries to ripen, but I am interested in seeing how long they can hold out. There are a few that are starting to blush red...

Frugal tips for the autumn garden

With 40mph winds whipping around my house and a temperature of 48 degrees Fahrenheit, it was quite chilly outside today. The sun was shining, which helps, but it definitely felt cooler than autumn. However, all the planted areas around the house need to be put to bed for the winter. This is not cheap since using mulch and compost to ensure the plants make it through the colder part of the year and prepare your garden for spring planting can get pricey, depending on how large an area you need to cover. For the frugal gardener, casting your eye around the yard can yield dividends for both your garden and your wallet.

Save those leaves.
Not only is raking the leaves fallen from your trees a great excuse to be outside but it is good exercise too. Leaves are great material to add to your compost pile (you have started one right), or shred and use as mulch around trees. If you have a bagging lawnmower, it is easy to mow the lawn with dry leaves on top of the grass and collect the shredded material. Otherwise, try putting the raked leaves in a trash can and using a trimmer to shred them into pieces. Leaf pieces tend not to blow away like intact leaves and allow moisture to reach the plant roots below.

Or you can make your old leaf mold mulch. Just bag the leaves in plastic, water them well and let them sit over the winter. Alternatively, pile the leaves in a corner of your yard, water well and cover with a tarp. Either way, fungus will begin to break down the leaves and give you with a great cover for the garden in spring. Leaf mold greatly improves the structure and water-holding capacity of soil, and worms love it too.

If you do not have trees or do not have enough leaves, raid your neighbor's piles. In urban and suburban areas, people conveniently place piles of leaves curbside for collection. Just take what you want and use the leaves at your own place. Be careful what leaves you take as black walnut leaves can harm more plants than it helps.

Clean up garden beds.
You know those tomato plants that gave you some nice fruit but are looking a bit awful now? Just cut them off at the level of the soil, chop them up and add to your composter. Most green material in the garden can either be left in place or thrown on the compost heap. Be cautious where the left-in-place material is used. If you are rotating crops, do not use the brassica greens where you intent to plant them next year. Leaving in place or adding to the composter will allow you to return the nutrients to the soil, which means healthy plants during growing season.

Regardless how the above-ground greens are handled, leave the roots of the plants in place. They not only keep the soil aerated, but also may hold nitrogen. Beans and peas are among the plants that do so and fixation happens at the roots. By pulling out the roots, the nitrogen is lost to the greens planted the next year. Having nitrogen available is important for heavy nitrogen-using plants like corn.

Add compost to vegetable garden beds.
Your hard-working compost bin or heap has probably broken down a good portion of your contributions from the beginning of the year. Spread this black gold on top of the newly emptied garden bed to give the soil a nutrient boost before planting occurs in the spring. If you have just started a compost pile, you likely will have to wait another year or so, depending on how active the pile is. My composter is pretty slow so I have just started shoveling out compost from a bin started in 2006. If you are like me and suffer from a lack of material, ask people at work to give you banana peels, coffee grounds or other compostable material. Mix these with the leaves you are composting and see what you have in the spring.

By looking what you have in your yard, you can find enough material to product mulch and compost for your garden beds. Again, supplement judiciously as needed by finding a source of leaves or organic matter if you cannot produce enough. By using what you have and being self-sufficient, you will have no need to visit those expensive garden stores for plastic bags of compost and mulch. Happy gardening!

Update: Welcome to those readers from the Festival of Frugality #149: Monster Mash Edition! If you liked my post, please explore my blog or subscribe to my RSS feed.

The autumn deadline looms

While I have many plans for the colder months, it is still early autumn and there are outdoor chores I need to finish. My tomato plants are still producing, strawberries are ripening, and my beans are blossoming and offering green pods. I am collecting this late bounty as long as it is produced as I do some final chores. The decreasing daylight makes it all more critical so I need to keep focused.

Finish constructing the new raised garden beds.
Since I enjoyed both gardening and processing my produce, I decided to add more garden space. Using salvage untreated wood, I have created two 8 feet by 4 feet by 7 inch beds on the south facing part of my lawn. These and the current 9 feet by 9 feet raised bed will be growing space for my vegetables. Furthermore, a 12 feet by 4 feet bed will be the new home of a black raspberry patch on the west side of my house. The new beds need to have soil added to them and this requires my dad, who is currently in the throes of harvesting soybeans. However, I have leaves and compost to add to the gardening space. Leaves are not a problem, but I need to finish raking what I have in the beds. The composted (or partially composted) horse manure will require a few more visits to the farm before I call it good enough prior to flying snow.

Mow the lawn at least once more.
I am a bit backed up in my plans. I wanted to use the leaves in the new raised beds, but since they are not finished, I could only do some minor raking. With leaves on the lawn, I did not want to mow especially as I have a mulching lawn mower. So once the beds are made and the leaves are gone, I will do one more pass on the lawn (hopefully the last time).

Empty the rain barrels.
Both 55 gallon rain barrels are full. I plan on storing some of the rain water in the basement to water my indoor plants over winter. After that, I will water my trees with the rest, clean out the barrels and store them for the winter. The diverter will also need to be prepared for the winter season and capped off after the diverter hoses are removed. I have to find space for two rain barrels this winter and that may mean my basement will play host to them rather than the garage. This is a definite drawback to a single-car garage.

Mulch the front rhubarb bed.
I planted some rhubarb on my front lawn as the first step in my plans to convert my lawn to more edible landscaping. The first planting is more vigorous than the second, but the sod I turned over did not eliminate unwanted green growth. As a result, I need to do some weed pulling, laying down of newspaper and then bark mulch. The bed is not large, about 10 square feet, but I plan to expand it with herbs and beans next year. Keeping the weed growth down for next year will be important as I add other plants to the garden space.

Prepare current gardening areas for winter.
I would like to put a nice layer of horse manure down on my 9' by 9' bed along with some mulch. This will add to its fertility and I will have one less step to take next spring before planting. Space around trees and any bare soil around the foundation will need an extra layer of mulch before cold really sets in.

Finish any started yard work.
This is my catchall point. I trimmed my rose bushes but left the branches out to dry. Getting these thorny bits into the composter prior to snow flying is important, but the leaves are taking up all the extra space I have. My new trees will need to be staked for the winter and tree spirals added. I have ~10 tulip bulbs to plant and need to clean up my garage prior to winter. And my strawberry plants will have to be protected before winter sets in (straw is just waiting to be piled on the bed). I also plan to plant five cloves of garlic before it gets too cold. My drip irrigation jugs around the trees will have to be removed and stored for the winter.

After all this is done, I can turn my attention to my winter list--and plans for what I can grow next spring. To be honest, I am looking forward to growing more of my own food and being able to harvest and preserve it.

Summer garden report

I have talked a lot about my garden but not really discussed the results of all my repurposing and frugal garden ideas. Recently, I have begun harvesting strawberries, green bush beans and cucumbers. So, to brag a bit about my success, I have taken a few pictures of my fruits and veggies.

I harvested a couple strawberries prior to the one pictured, but this is the first that was undamaged by earwigs or partially eaten by other animals. While most of my gardening techniques are organic, I used Sevin powder around the strawberry bed to get the perfect strawberry pictured here. I planted 50 Ozark Beauty everbearing strawberry plants, had 13 take, cut off blossoms and runners until July 1 and started to get strawberries about three weeks later. As an everbearing plant, the strawberries bloom and produce fruit throughout the summer rather than just in June. I have to survey the territory every day to check on ripeness. Right now, three more strawberries are nearly ready with just some white left and there are plenty more blossoms and small white berries waiting to ripen.


I received a surprise on July 22: my first two green beans! I knew the plants had bloomed, but did not really look at the plants until recently. I happily harvested the two beans and stored them in the refrigerator. The picture below contains four days worth of beans and the newly harvested strawberry. I had forgotten how fuzzy green beans are and enjoyed them for dinner with onions and a bit of bacon. Yum! The strawberry tasted wonderful for afters.


These beans were picked Sunday, July 27. My bean plants may be hitting their peak. I only have six plants producing so the numbers I am posting are not going to be impressive. Part of my reasoning for planting beans and some of the other plants is trying them. Do I like to grow them? Do I like to eat them? If the answer is yes to both, I will keep them on my list for next year when I expand my garden. I can plant more because I liked what I had. More plants means more work and more harvesting, but essentially doing a test plot helps me focus on what I can do and what I like.


While I have not taken pictures of my cucumbers, I do know I will try a different variety next year. The dual-purpose bush cucumber I purchased was not very bushlike and is a bit too spiny for my comfort. It is a robust producer and I may end up giving away the seeds to someone more interested in cucumbers than I. I definitely only need one plant to produce the cucumbers I will use. I have not touched the six I have harvested with at least ten on the vine!

My late-planted peas are slowly growing, my onions are holding their own even as they were planted in May and eaten by rabbits, my tomatoes are growing (even if I have blossom end rot on a goodly share of them), and my Jacob's cattle bean is starting to bloom and produce tiny pods. Hopefully, I will love the onions, enjoy the peas, can the tomatoes and see if I like growing my own beans for cooking.

Following my gardening passion

I have begun reading more green living blogs including Little Homestead in the City as I seek more ways to live a greener life. The idea of converting the ubiquitous (and bland) suburban lawn to a productive garden really appeals to me. Of course, the Dervaes family has the advantage of farming year round in Pasadena, California, not an option in the Midwest. However, the idea of urban homesteading, converting lawns to gardens has really attracted my attention for many reasons.

Being satisfied where you life is one way to combat the keeping-up-with-the-Jones mentality. While I crave a country retreat, I can begin to move toward a more sustainable, independent life by converting more of my suburban lawn for growing fruits and vegetables. While I have not worked out all the details and am not sure how rain gardens and veggie gardens will coexist on my small plot of land, the best way I can determine if raising crops for myself and possible sale is viable is by doing, not waiting and trying when it is my livelihood.

I am pretty excited about expanding the area I can grow food. Part of the difficulty is the size of my property. I have one large tree and planted four additional trees that will grow and cast shade on only 0.165 acres (including the driveway and house). Planning for the present and the future is not easy so I may take the short-term benefit over the long-term changes in the light that falls on my property. Certainly growing my own food in the age of rising gasoline and food prices benefits me.

However, I need to refine the plan. I have put in several requests at my local library for various books on gardening, terrace gardening, converting my suburban lawn to a garden, raising chickens and other topics that affect my future pursuits, both immediate and long term. While I have scavenged some wood to build more raised garden beds, I am waiting until I have read some books and consulted with others before constructing the 8' by 4' frames, the size I think I want. My brain is filled with ideas for a black raspberry bed, an asparagus bed, what vegetables to plant in the new raised garden bed and if I can fit a few fruit trees on the property. The only idea I can implement within the next month is stealing more rhubarb divisions from my mom (with her permission) and planting them on the slope in the front yard. It will not take up the entire front yard slope, but it will give me a start on edible landscaping with the benefit the plants grow large enough I can remove a good swath of lawn to cut. Bonus for me!

I have lots of planning and much sod removal ahead of me. Plus, I will need topsoil to add to my raised beds and lots of composted horse manure amend the soil I have and will import from the family farm. Truthfully, many things have drawn my interest and then my motivation to see the idea through has waned. So far, I am really excited about the garden I have and wished I had more space to plant more things. I may change my mind over winter, not implement the idea in 2009 or other factors will change my mind. This new idea, adding to my growing capacity and becoming more self-sufficient has great promise and I am not one to back down from a challenge when my intellect, interest and passion are engaged, as they seem to be right now. I will continue to report on this idea as it develops in my life and throw in some ideas gleaned from the various books I plan to read.

Do you have plans to put in a garden or expand what you have? What are your reasons for doing so?

Measuring the green in my life

I like to reflect on how my behavior has changed to reflect a more green philosophy on life. While I am far from perfect, the steps I have taken have been green in more than one fashion, better for the environment and my pocketbook. Some of the ways I have chosen are not without their frustration, but seeing where I am and where I would like to be give guidance to my actions. Therefore, where do I stand now?

Green behaviors fully integrated into my lifestyle:
Composting including food and cat waste
Purchasing used items including clothing, gifts, furniture, cookware and more.
Growing my own vegetables and fruit
Harvesting rain water
Collecting water in bathroom and from washer for reuse
Bringing my own bags for store purchases
Reusing and repurposing items (e.g., plastic jugs)
Recycling items I cannot reuse or repurpose
Driving the speed limit and combining errands (saves gasoline and carbon emissions)
Planting native trees and plants around the house
Cooking and baking from scratch (minimizes packaging I throw away)
Mowing my lawn with an electric mower
Eliminating chemical treatments for the lawn and yard (with the rare spritz of Roundup or sprinkle of Sevin--none so far this year)
Drying my laundry outdoors
Buying only renewable energy from my electric utility
Flushing the toilet only when necessary
Installing compact fluorescent bulbs when incandescents die in light fixtures
Using cloth napkins, handkerchiefs and towels rather than paper products

Green behaviors I am working on:
Buying and using locally grown food products--I find these a challenge as I am not as fond of vegetables as others are, and new types of veggies overwhelm my ability to eat them. Plus, farmer's markets are more expensive than grocery stores.
Reducing the amount of plastic I buy--So many items are packaged in plastic, I find it difficult to avoid bringing it home with me. I seek alternatives (e.g., buy the mustard in a glass jar rather than plastic), but many times I grab an item before realizing the extent of the plastic I brought home.
Carpooling--This has been a challenge as finding a carpooling buddy has not been easy. I have a potential driver, who I will pay for each trip. However, we have only carpooled once and it will take some time to establish a relationship for the long term.
Turning off lights and other electronics not in use--Generally, I am good about this, but I do forget. Practice makes for better behavior!
Making and using my own cleaners--I used the last of my toilet bowl cleaner and am looking forward to using vinegar and baking soda in the bathroom.

Green behaviors to pursue:
Reducing the clutter in my home--Frankly, I have too much stuff. Some should be given away, others could be sold. Regardless, simplicity in the home will only encourage me to minimize what I own, maintain and clean, while reducing my ecological footprint.
Learning to make items myself--While I can competently sew, I do not know how to knit, crochet or can food. In an effort to be more self-sufficient, I would like to make more items myself like socks and can foodstuffs I have grown.
Installing a rain garden or two--I keep talking about this, but have not executed plans. This year, I have gotten closer to creating one, but will likely begin smothering grass in late summer/early autumn to set the foundation for placing a rain garden next spring.

I have a good start on some basic green behavior, but looking around my home and at my list above, I have a distance to go. There are so many other areas to explore like sustainability (e.g., do I use peat moss, which is readily available but destroys bogs when harvested, or coir, which is renewable but more expensive?) and very difficult choices like installing solar collectors for heating water and generating electricity. Money plays a factor in my choices and I have to weigh my current economics and future finances against a return on investment I will not see for decades.