Urban Garden - Update #2

In the category of trying to learn something new, here is the latest installment of garden update. With drought and having to water the garden by hand since I can not run the sprinklers the harvest is not what it might be. I've still had fun trying to figure out how to grow stuff and it is weirdly satisfying to eat stuff I grew myself!!

We started this round off looking something like this in my little Urban Garden.

Then we ended up with some stuff growing!!! The broccoli never really did anything. The Hippie came by the house and said the broccoli 'went to seed'? Guess that means we ain't getting none right now. Hahahahaha. The soccer ball was not harmed during the growing of the crops!

The harvest has been going on for a few weeks now. Surprisingly all the food does not get done at the same time!! You know like the grocery store!! hehehe Have had a few issues with one of our little friends around here eating the tomatoes before I can pick them. Not a big deal, ok it was a big deal but I got over it!

Ended up with enough potatoes I did not need to buy any for a few weeks now. Also found out the red ones grow more than the white ones. Had planted less red ones but got just as much as the others.

The celery grew! Had no idea what I was doing with it!

And the most exciting thing for me was I grew some decent onions!!! I know it sounds silly but I have not been able to get the onions to grow to any size worth talking about!!

Next step is to get the dirt ready to try and plant some more stuff. It has really been fun trying to figure out how to grow food. Makes me realize how hard it is to fill those shelves at the grocery store. Also makes me realize how delicate the food supply is.

Waiting for the grapes to ripen. Not sure my second vine is going to grow that much this year, Kids decided to pull the leaves off of it. When they are ready I am going to practice making jam this year. Another skill set I am trying to gain knowledge in. Of course that means I will also get some practice in on treating burns!

Remember learn something new this month! There is always something out there to learn!

As Always,

Stay Safe!  

Urban Garden - update #1

Not my garden!

I was reading up on gardening, trying to learn something new, when I came across a term I liked. The writer was describing how sometimes you do not find all of the potatoes growing under ground and if you leave them they become "volunteers" which will grown on their own. Knowing I probably missed a few and having some littles ones left which I randomly buried I wanted to see if this worked.

With almost no watering, I kind of on purpose forgot to water them most weeks and relied on the limited rain we have had I wanted to see what would happen. After a few weeks I was surprised to see leaves poking out of the ground!!!

Only after there was signs of life did I water the ground a little more often. Even then I was purposely seeing how little water, besides what fell from the sky, I could use. (of course the water falling from the sky is a scary thing for those of us in Southern California!) One thing I have learned since trying to be an urban farmer is when to pull the potatoes from the ground. The plant starts to die and you know it is time to dig. Of course digging is always the fun part, kind of like a grown up easter egg hunt!

Trying to grow even the little garden I have really gives you an appreciation for how much work goes into growing our food. Knowing how many plants I have put into the ground which did nothing and realizing there is a lot to learn about I appreciate the full grocery stores I can walk into a lot more. Growing enough food by yourself to feed your family is a full time job!!!

The harvest of my volunteers is not very large. Even the harvest from before was not very much and only lasted about a week or two. What you see in these pictures would last a meal. Which is why I am amazed when you start to think about how much food someone has to grow in order to feed us all. Someone has to work all day at producing enough food for the rest of us to eat. If we had to grow our own food we would not have time to do whatever it is we do for a living. You could not spend all day in an office if you had to worry about the fields you tried to feed your family from.  

I plan on trying to work the soil a little, turn it over stuff like that, and then use these to see what I can grown in a couple of weeks. If I come across any 'Seed Potatoes' at Home Depot I will pick some up. The next time I plant will be to see how much food I can grow. Which means I will water them, cover them with wire to keep the cats and raccoons at bay and really see how much I can get out of my little spot.

We all have something we are good at. Why not learn something new? Take some time to learn something you know nothing about. I promise it will be rewarding, just as I have found my little garden to be fun and rewarding!!!

As Always,

Stay Safe!