Urban Farm Online

[Kaleva]

Might be a source of good info for those interested in eco-friendly and sustainable living.

http://www.urbanfarmonline.com/?navm=tophome

[Curmudgeoness]

1. And another magazine that I subscribed to for years

when I had a dream of homesteading. I don't have the energy to dream this dream anymore, but I learn a lot from this mag.

Countryside & Small Stock Journal

http://www.countrysidemag.com/

[Kaleva]

2. I had the dream of homesteading too

But excessive drinking ended that ( I quit over 20 years ago). I was in the Navy and was planning on staying in for 20 years to retire. I had 56 acres of land with a house, barn, garage and other out buildings which was I had bought in the early 80's and had paid off the loan in four years.

My goal in my very early 20's was to purchase property and own it free and clear (which I accomplished), stay in the Navy and retire after 20 years and have a $100,000.00 in the bank by the time I retired. The retirement pay would have covered my monthly expenses and part of the savings would have allowed me to remodel the home and buy what equipment I needed. But I drank too much and that ended that.

Now I'm on full disability and live in a small 900 square foot house on a 50 X 100 lot but there's nothing stopping me from achieving my dream on a much reduced scale. Yesterday I turned over a small section of my yard for my garden next year with a shovel. A task. along with mowing the yard, that kicked my ass and I spent the rest of the day limping. Today I'm going to clean out the pantry in the basement which will be a start on converting it to a temporary root cellar to store apples in this winter while I build another one in the basement which I'll be able to use next year. The only thing stopping me from getting the indoor worm composter completed is having a vehicle to get the 5 gallon buckets needed.

There's a bedroom upstairs that gets plenty of light and i could use that for an indoor garden but my ex is using it now as a storage for some of her stuff. Maybe I could move much of that into my bedroom. I don't want to move it to the basement as it can get wet down there after heavy rains and during the spring when the snow melts.

The outside garden area is 11' X 11' and is next to the garage but by using the garage wall to support vine crops such as sugar snap peas and by using the square foot gardening method to maximize the output of the available plot, it ought to work for me.

I can still "homestead". I just have to adapt to my physical and financial limitations.

[Curmudgeoness]

3. I am sorry your big dream failed,

but I am with you on the little dream being realized. I am not off grid, I am not self-sufficient, but I am doing what I can. Life can get in the way, can't it? I don't think I have it in me to prepare a garden plot with a shovel, so more power to you. That's great.

As to storing things in the basement, I have a lot stored in mine, and I have the same problem with water getting in at time. I use things like those plastic flats from the garden center, turned upside down, to put boxes on. It keeps them above the trickles of water I get. Anything plastic that will support the boxes will work. Better yet, why are you still holding onto things stored by your ex? Not my business, and I don't want an answer, but I wouldn't. (And I have been there, so I know I wouldn't---three months was all I gave.)

And congratulations on your sobriety. It isn't easy.

[Kaleva]

4. My progress for the day and an answer to your question

Much of my stuff is still at our home where my ex lives. We used this house for storage, a place to get away from the kids once in awhile and for others to stay when they were up here. I imagine sometime in the future we will spend a day or two transferring everything but for now, neither of us are in a hurry to get it done.

Today i got the basement pantry cleaned out, insulation put in the ceiling and walls, the shelves dusted and washed and the floor swept. It's ready to go.

I also was able to come up with a couple of plastic storage containers by combing stuff into fewer containers for my indoor worm composter. I followed the directions for one given in the following video:

&feature=related

Drilled the holes with my cordless drill and a spade bit. Found a couple of bricks in the garage and spent some time shredding newspaper, paper bags and cardboard that were down in the basement. With the coffee grounds, coffee filters and kitchen scraps I already had in a another container, I was able to get everything together today and now just have to wait about 10 days to get the worms for it.

I was able to make some room in the spare bedroom and placed a small table by the window. I have a number of ice cream containers I'll use as pots for the indoor garden. Just need to get the potting soil and seeds now and I plan on starting the garden late in September. I think I'll keep my garden simple this winter and stick with radishes. I love radishes and they are easy to grow and mature quickly. I'll plant one pot, then another 7 days later, followed by another 7 days after that and and then the last one 7 days after the 3rd one. This ought to keep in with a steady supply of radishes all winter long and the thinnings I can use as garnish and in soups.

http://www.gardenguides.com/70071-growing-radishes-indoors.html


All the stuff I got done today didn't cost me anything as I already had it on hand.

[Curmudgeoness]

5. Now you are just trying to make me feel guilty

that I never accomplish anything! I am just spent after working all day, and I can't get all the wonderful things that I want to do done. I am impressed by all you are doing. Good for you. I hope everything works out well. Worms are easy to raise, and I know about radishes.....that was the only thing I could get to grow the first couple of years when I started gardening. And I did not like them all that much. I just wanted a few here and there to put in a salad. Figures.

Good luck.