2011 Fall Garden

To celebrate my birthday this year several sweet friends came over to help me dig beds and create additional garden space in the back yard.  Last spring I started with about 40 square feet and slowly expanded throughout the Spring and Summer to a total of 150 square feet.  We dug 3 beds at 50 square feet each plus I added a Strawberry patch, a Rhubarb patch and an Asparagus patch as well as 50 square feet of space where cover crops are doing the work to break up the soil.  All in all, our garden is nearing 500 square feet.  Expanding our growing space was made possible in part by teaming up with the Sustainable Food Centers "Spread the Harvest" program.  I have access to free plants, compost and seeds as well as tools and books.  In return, I commit to growing a little extra and donating it to soup kitchens.  Growing healthy food for my family is fun and frugal but it's fulfilling to share our food with those who are hungry.  For me, it's soul care...from planting seeds to harvesting.

the lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land and will strengthen your frame.  you will be like a well-watered garden, like a spring whose waters never fail. (I. 58:11)

for as the soil makes the sprout come up and a garden causes seeds to grow, so the sovereign lord will make righteousness and praise spring up before all nations. (I. 61:11)

Here's a list of what we are growing organically and locally on our "urban homestead:"

Basil

Cinnamon Basil

Lemon Basil

Thyme

Rosemary

Oregano

Stevia

Spearmint

Peppermint

Chocolate Mint

4 varieties of tomatoes

5 varieties of peppers

Cabbage

Kale

Red Russian Kale

Broccoli (a few varieties)

Kohlrabi

Purple Kohlrabi

Radish

Carrots

Flax

Mesclun Mix 

Butter crunch lettuce

Bib lettuce

Arugula

Spinach

Swiss Chard, red and yellow

Sugar Snap Peas

Rhubarb

4 Blackberries, 2 varities (overwintering until spring) 

3 Fig trees (overwintering until spring)

Strawberries (overwintering with the hope for a thriving patch come spring)

Meyer Lemon (overwintering and looking forward to lemons!)

Asparagus (we planted 1 year old crowns and will start harvesting in 2 years)

Cover crops to break up clay soil (clovers, black oil seed radish)

Forage crops for the hens (oats, rye, wheat, millet - all spread around in the yard, they look like grass)

Fresh Eggs...if those hens out there would just get on the ball and start laying already!

We enjoy our chickens.  They eat weeds and provide high nitrogen fertilizer as well as eggs, in theory.  We've had them since July 4th.  One of the original four was a rooster, so he went back to the farm and we brought home two new hens.  It's taken a while but the two flocks seem to be getting along.  We've named the hens after female characters from the X-men comic books.  However, Adriaan had some input and decided one should be called "Bill" (not the rooster of course).  So, that hen is Rogue (aka Bill) Lafferty.  The others are Pheonix, Kitty-Pride...yeah, can't remember.  I need a refresher.  Perhaps I'll make an effort to remember their names when they start producing eggs!

Mustard Greens for dinner!

Will and Adriaan building the trellis for our Sugar Snap Peas

The Strawberry Patch, foreground!

So much Basil!

Next day we donated this to the Caritas and Salvation Army soup kitchens downtown.

Broccoli Greens, cutting them promotes head formation.

This season I have grown in courage to touch bugs.  I have been willing to actually remove cabbage lopers (little green inch worms) with my bare hands.  I take them from my broccoli plants and then toss them into the chicken coop.  The chickens go wild with delight!

All of the kids have been very helpful with this task.  They run back and forth from me to the coop with their hands gently cupped around a worm.  Dropping one is a such a sad thing, so they take extra care not to drop them.  They are my adorable little executioners, taking these plump worms to their death.  I have little compassion for these worms.  They live to eat holes in my beautiful broccoli leaves and then become moths who lay more eggs for additional hole eating worms.  Picking them off is super duper organic gardening by the way!