Best Laid Plans

I haven't posted in quite a while, and here is possibly why...

In December, we had a new baby, which means I was pregnant for at least 9 mos. prior to that, which means I was very tired.  I was also in school for most of that time.  Well, actually that is a new development also.

I was working full-time, but I quit that job right around the time I came down with mono for the third time in my life... and then found out I was also pregnant again.  I decided for my health that I needed a change.  I applied for a grad assistantship and now I am seriously pursuing a Ph.D. program in Education (as opposed to halfheartedly pursuing it). Still, that did not leave time for blogging.

Also, when I quit my job, I stopped getting pay checks.  Weird.  But right around that time, I decided that I should apply for WIC since our income would be significantly decreased.  At the same time, I felt I could not justify taking help from the government while we also spent $225 a month for about the equivalent of 8 very fresh and locally grown meals from Fair Shares.  So we dropped our share.  I was sad, to be honest, but realized how much of a luxury that type of food is... It is sustainable in the way it is produced, but not in its accessibility to the masses.

We finally have recycling bins close to us.  First, they appeared on side streets close to us, and lo and behold, one day a recycling bin appeared in the alley behind our house, which means we can empty the bins any time we want!  And contrary to my former sarcastic remark that recycling is only for rich people, I now know that recycling is also a luxury that is not always accessible to the masses.  But it should be available to everyone.  So should fresh, good food.  But it has to be at a good price, as well.

Our garden was a constant learning experience this past year.  Actually, the weather was against everyone.  It was so hot that even professional farmers had trouble... and then stayed warm so we had lettuce in November and a few tomatoes to boot. 

It's probably about time to start seedlings in the basement for next year already... my husband will probably be the one to do it, though.  He is the executioner around here.  I think up the schemes and he executes them.  It works for us.  I have more hopes set on our garden this year, though, since that will possibly be a major source of fresh veggies for us without our Fair Shares share.  I might have to get my hands dirty...

The chickens lost one of their companions last year.  She was fine in the morning, and by evening she was dead.  I cried.  I don't know if I can really put them in a soup now.  They are still laying, but not as much as the first year.  We may get a few more older chickens in the spring from an uncle who is getting a whole new flock.  Then we will have more eggs than we know what to do with since we also get eggs with WIC.

And finally, I have not made granola for a few months, even though I had stocked up on oats and coconut.  First, we get cereal with WIC.  The price of commercial cereal was part of the reason I made granola.  Secondly, I have been pregnant and now just tired.  So that's what happened.  Maybe I will start up again.

God is good.  There is provision for our family in various ways.  And I feel more in touch with my neighbors than before.  Well, my neighborhood, I should say, since we don't have proper neighbors--the houses next to us are abandoned and empty, and the closest inhabited house has a transitory population.  The children that live there haven't been by since it has been cold, but maybe they will be back when the weather is warmer to ask for eggs and pick peppers and tomatoes that aren't quite ripe.  ;o)

Baby #2

New Mercies

That's what restoration is all about: mercy.  And that's what we get, in the natural and in the spiritual.  Our garden was in need of mercy, because we had messed it up.  So after a little garden lime, a little more compost, and some fish emulsion, plus a good few weeks of cool, rainy weather, our lettuce is finally growing, our tomatoes look like they might become good plants, and the chard is growing.  Then comes some hot weather, so the peppers and eggplants will have a shot, too.  God is good.

The biggest thing I'm learning in all this is that God is not afraid of mess.  I mean, I keep learning this, because I'm messy and God isn't afraid of me again and again.  This might only just be a learning process, but that's okay.  I hope we get some eggplant, but if we don't, there is always next year. 

Semi-flops

The rain barrel didn't create enough pressure for the soaker hose, so we hooked it up to the regular, old faucet.  But the rain barrel works great.

Our soil may drain a little too well with perhaps a little too much sand.  With the kinds of Springs we have had, that might have been a good thing, but it seems we are drying up now and the plants are not shooting up.

The tomatoes might have something eating them, or they might have a disease.  I'm not quite sure.  We blame the compost from Carondelet Park.  But I have no way to tell.  They haven't died completely, so we might be okay. 

The lettuce is still green, but smashed to the ground and not much bigger than a few weeks ago.

The self-watering containers may not be working. 

But!

The other cucumber seeds came up overnight.  They liked being outside, and a really long germination period.  I don't know where we will put them, though.  Maybe where the lettuce is/was. 

Planting Day: Round 1

At least 5-8 weeks before April 15 (last day of frost), we dutifully planted our seeds and placed them under a grow light in the basement.  We decided to start small, so we ordered from Seed Savers Exchange a variety of seeds.  The seeds from Seed Savers are heirloom seeds, which means they haven't been genetically modified so there is a better chance of saving seeds from year to year.  Each year that we save and seed, our plants will get more adapted to our soil and climate and hopefully, get stronger.

It also means that there is a greater variety to choose from, as follows: Miniature White cucumbers, Thai Green and Listada de Gandia eggplant, Merveille des Quatre Saisons and Slobolt lettuce, Garden Sushine and Napoleon Sweet peppers, Rhubard Red swiss chard, Stupice and Siberian tomatoes and Cilantro.  Most of the plants are smaller varieties, so we hope they won't take up as much room.  We also seeded basil and parsley from Lowe's or somewhere, purchased last year, marigold seeds (from Grandma's house), and pole beans and green beans found in the lunch room.  The chives survived the winter from last year.

Between the tornadoes, cold weather and weddings, we haven't managed to plant yet, but as it turns out... that's how it goes sometimes.  We also hadn't finished getting the raised beds ready, including cages to keep the chickens out. Also, right out the gate we already made a few mistakes.  For example, we shouldn't have started the pole beans, cucumbers and cilantro inside because they don't transplant well.

For the last few weeks, we have been hardening off our seedlings by taking them outside for a few hours each day.  This hopefully got them ready for planting day.  Meanwhile, back in the basement, everything had sprouted except the green beans and the cucumbers.  The green beans might have just been old.  We aren't sure about the cucumbers.

Today, it was cool, which was good for the lettuce.  However, it started raining half-way through, so this is to be continued.

This is part of why it has taken us so long.  Despite their many benefits, they will eat anything green in sight. Buzzards.

Compost pile and the rain barrel both constructed by my husband.  The wood was free, the barrel about $15, plus some other materials. 

The cage is PVC pipe and chicken wire.  The raised beds are 6", 8" and 10" deep, and 3'x3', all made out of scrap wood. The soil is 1 part top soil, 1 part leaf compost, and 1 part sand, *Note: Do not, repeat, do not use sand.  with a little bit of our own compost thrown in.  The chickens have been plowing this for a week or so. 

And a soaker hose runs through it, which is connected to the rain barrel.   To the right is our lettuce bed with a pole bean in the middle for shade.  Some of the lettuce was already started indoors and some we seeded today.

The rest of the seedlings waiting to be planted.  Some of them will go in the self-watering containers (more on those later).  The baby gate is because of the chickens and the baby.