Any urban "farmers"??

huanu

Hi all, I am wondering if there are any people on this group who grow their own food? We live in a subdivision and began years ago with a small veggie garden that continues to grow and grow. This year we are planning on using our front lawn as well for growing edibles. We are also looking into whether we want to have two chickens (our town allows this).
I love gardening and sustainable living. I try my best and I am always looking for new ideas and I love hearing other people's efforts on sustainable living. We also buy local meat and fish, pick local berries and do home preserving.

It was our personal journey as a family towards more sustainable living and less consumerism that led me towards losing weight and getting more healthy. Now I am hooked. Of course I still eat things that are not clean (like gummie bears... <--- my weakness!!) but overall as a family we are getting past many of our self-defeating old habits.

I would love to hear what you are doing and what you plan to do And please feel free to add me as a pal on here.

libertygirlfla

I had a pretty large garden at my previous house, but only have three small planter boxes at the new one. I plan to add more as time and money allow. I currently have tomatoes, broccoli and lettuce in the works.

LizCO2DC

Bump! I'm looking at starting one this spring, so I'd love to hear what others have to say as well.

huanu

My garden is sleeping under 40cm of snow! No action there right now but I'm in the planning stages. There is a local organic seed exchange coming up soon so I'm trying to figure out how much can fit in the space I have now.
We have garlic bulbs and asparagus that will come up in the spring and we plant tomatoes, broccoli, zucchini, lettuce, cukes, green onions, carrots, various herbs, onions, peppers, watermelon...
I love growing our own food. Nothing tastes better than food fresh from the garden :-)
I'm trying to figure out what will look nice in the front lawn to prevent neighbors from complaining lol... something about taking the backyard garden into the front is a bit intimidating. But I'm excited to expand.

Nice to get to know you. I am eager to hear more about your garden as it grows!

libertygirlfla

Nothing would last in my front yard...in fact, thieves stole an entire bunch of bananas from a tree in our front yard this summer. Jerks!

Carrots would be cute "edging". Eggplant has pretty leaves and colors and squash always seems to have nice flowers. I love the idea of "landscaping" with vegetables.

Do you start your seeds inside before spring? We used to do that in Maryland to help extend our growing season. It was always a challenge keeping the cats from nibbling the new sprouts, though. We eventually built little frames and wrapped the sides w/saran wrap to keep them out. It let the light in, kept the plants more insulated and kept the kitties out.

I researched growing asparagus and even tried my hand at artichokes (without long-term success). Once I get a few more boxes, I'm going to try again!

Oh, and we keep dill, rosemary and basil in window boxes on the deck for easy access when cooking.

Annaque

I have two raised beds where cucumbers, strawberries, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, and leafy greens thrive. I also have a berry patch for blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. My fig, persimmon, and asian pear trees are also thriving, but that's pure luck because I've slightly neglected them. I also have six Rhode Island Red chickens and am hoping to get ducks come spring! I would also like to start growing herbs and to build a few more raised beds for things like broccoli that are loaded with pesticides and chemicals if bought from the store.

huanu

Bump! I'm looking at starting one this spring, so I'd love to hear what others have to say as well.

You should start one! There is nothing more rewarding than eating the food you planted and nurtured! It also fosters a healthy relationship for people with food. For me, it taught more more respect for the food I am eating and encouraged me to learn more about food. I was really guilty of living on highly processed food and we ate out many many times per week. Since we began a more sustainable approach to food, we have saved a fortune in money because we no longer eat out! Despite what many claim, it is not more expensive to eat healthy... it just takes more time.

huanu

I have two raised beds where cucumbers, strawberries, carrots, eggplant, zucchini, tomatoes, peas, and leafy greens thrive. I also have a berry patch for blueberries, blackberries, and raspberries. My fig, persimmon, and asian pear trees are also thriving, but that's pure luck because I've slightly neglected them. I also have six Rhode Island Red chickens and am hoping to get ducks come spring! I would also like to start growing herbs and to build a few more raised beds for things like broccoli that are loaded with pesticides and chemicals if bought from the store.

That's awesome! You have a great selection of veggies and you even have fruit trees! I have an indoor herb garden for the winter and I think I will plant many of the herbs outdoors in the front garden. I need to be selective on what I plant out there so that the concept of edible landscape isn't shunned also I don't think the herbs are not as prone to being eaten or destroyed by animal pests. We have many deer in our subdivision (they are like rats here!) and they will munch on whatever we plant. So I need to be selective on what I choose.

How many eggs do you get weekly approx. from your chickens? And do you find it to be time consuming to care for them (can you go away overnight or for a weekend)? Also are they loud or bothersome to neighbours or yourself at times?? They would be great for eating up unwanted critters/bugs and also for the fertilizer. I would love to hear the pro's and con's of small scale chicken farming.
Thanks!

huanu

Nothing would last in my front yard...in fact, thieves stole an entire bunch of bananas from a tree in our front yard this summer. Jerks!

Carrots would be cute "edging". Eggplant has pretty leaves and colors and squash always seems to have nice flowers. I love the idea of "landscaping" with vegetables.

Do you start your seeds inside before spring? We used to do that in Maryland to help extend our growing season. It was always a challenge keeping the cats from nibbling the new sprouts, though. We eventually built little frames and wrapped the sides w/saran wrap to keep them out. It let the light in, kept the plants more insulated and kept the kitties out.

I researched growing asparagus and even tried my hand at artichokes (without long-term success). Once I get a few more boxes, I'm going to try again!

Oh, and we keep dill, rosemary and basil in window boxes on the deck for easy access when cooking.

The theft aspect of gardening is terrible!! How can people be so low as to steal food... but they do and it hurts bad when it happens. My in-laws had their entire garden raided and most of the good stuff that they were waiting so patiently all season to ripen had been stolen. It was so violating because it isnt just about the money it cost, it is all the work and anticipation that is destroyed. But the next year they still continued to garden and for the past few years they haven't been ripped off again. They refused to let others take away their joy.

Carrots would make a cute edging, I wish I liked eggplant because it is the prettiest plant and the most stunning vegetable to grow IMO. But last year we grew it and tried it and I wasn't crazy about it. Maybe it was the way I prepared it... blah. Maybe I will give it another try!! I still have seeds left.

For some things we do start the seeds indoors. Our pepper plants need more time to grow and ripen here so we extend the season by giving them a start indoors. But many things we plant straight in the garden. Zucchini and cucumbers are fool proof. They germinate great! Some herbs need extra help with an indoor start also or you can do transplants. Usually we do tomato transplants just because the space indoors is limited to get them started.
Watermelon is one of our favourites to plant. We plant it under our broccoli because broccoli is harvested early and then we remove the broccoli plant after harvest and the watermelon just spreads like wildfire! It is such a treat to eat watermelon from the garden. Last year we had our last one left out there and we were waiting patiently for it to ripen when a darn raccoon found it and chomped a hole in it and stuck his arm in and scooped it clean!! That was a BUMMER!!

Our asparagus is really our true gold medal winner of our garden. I absolutely LOVE asparagus. It is one of the first to poke through and it is such a great way to welcome in the summer season.
We bought asparagus roots. We had to dig a trench and plant them quite deeply and the first year we could not eat any. We had to let them grow and fern out because the large ferns feed the root system. The second year we were able to cut a few spears and had some but the third year we had lots and we just made sure we allowed some of it to grow to fern so the roots could get nourishment. This year we will have a huge crop. Every year it gets larger and larger and it is actually a perennial that if established well can live for up to 20 or more years. It is also one of the vegetables I find the easiest to care for. Not many pests go after it and it really only requires weeding and good soil and water.
You should give it a try! It costs so much to buy imported or shipped/non-local asparagus in the stores so it is worth its weight in gold!!

KANGOOJUMPS

yep, too much snow here right now, but we do all herbs,,,,,, tomatos, cukes, pumpkins,strawberries.

libertygirlfla

I'm sold!! Going to do an asparagus bed as soon as possible. Need to brush up on the process first, though. I've also wanted to try chickens (for the eggs). Hubby does NOT seem impressed by the idea of chickens (not that he's impressed by any healthy eating or environmental issues). Not sure why I Iove that guy, but I sure do! He loves asparagus and fresh garden food, so I guess that's a redeeming quality...lol

Anxiously awaiting an answer to the pros and cons of chickens. We are in Florida where it is REALLY hot in the summer. I'm guessing there must be something we can do to keep them more comfortable without installing an air conditioner...ha ha ha.