Let the Liberating Begin: Plant Freedom Seeds!

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Howdy! Happy Saturday Sunday!

Gotta luv the weekends, right? So much to look forward to and so much to accomplish. With Spring just around the corner it’s hard not to think about this year’s summer garden and greenhouse plans. All the daydreaming we do of having a xeriscaped front yard (no lawn, hopefully!) with wild edibles planted and where nourishing foods grow is quickly approaching it’s season. We couldn’t be more excited to make this our reality.

You know, become an urban gardener. A freedom gardener, if you will. Liberating yourself from all the corporate muck and dirty chemicals. Why not get down right dirty in your own backyard and produce the foods you need to live on with untainted seeds. The idea of growing your own food to feed your family and possibly community may sound like a lot of work but it also sounds so enticing. Especially, after learning about the true freedom gardeners; the Little Homestead in the City, the Dervaes family in Pasadena, Ca aka “The Urban Gardener’s”. Their little homestead yields almost 6,000 lbs. of  food yearly. It takes a lot of serious motivation and determination to get to where the Dervaes family is but the possibility of getting an urban garden started is far greater.

The hub and I have always had a passion for gardening it’s something that we naturally felt compelled to do since we bought our home almost 10 yrs. ago. Our house sits on a little less than a quarter of an acre and to us that instantly meant we would have room for a garden. It’s funny, because as we live in an area where a good majority of the people sit on more than acre of land – this town is also known for agriculture and farming, yet, not many people, take advantage of their land by growing their own fruits and vegetables. I know gardening isn’t for everyone but for us it just seems like common sense to have a garden and reap whatever benefits you can on your own property. It was just our observation this morning over breakfast. We all have the opportunity basically. Not to mention, it allows us tobe in control of what’s going into our bodies. With all the chemical use within the food and agriculture industry it’s hard to say whether our food is really safe anymore.

So, to say the least… this year we’re committed to green up our yard in more ways in than one.

We’ve been talking about digging up the front lawn to make it more drought tolerant for quite some time now. We believe, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be taking advantage of the local conservation nursery in our town which sells native and drought tolerant plants. Since we live in the desert having drought tolerant landscape seems more appropriate than lilies and orchids which would require lot’s of watering. Were looking forward to creating a sanctuary with native plants, shrubs and trees etc. that will bring in natural wildlife to enjoy also.

The nursery is having their open house in April and has announced a sale on plants, shrubs, wildflower seeds etc. I’m pretty excited about it. Were pumped to learn more about the native plants and wildlife in our area and start being smart gardener’s. We recently resurrected the wriggley wranch worm bin and replenished it with some mighty fine earthworms (stay tuned for an upcoming post)

Raised Beds

This is our first year attempting  the raised beds, square inch gardening theory. Well, we kinda took a stab at it last year but this is our first “real” attempt.  The hubby built a raised bed about a month ago using reclaimed materials as a tester and so far so good. It appears all of the seeds we planted have sprouted. Yahoo! For the past five years we always turned over the soil and planted directly in ground. It will be neat to see the differences.

I’m happy to say, that we’re ditching the plastic soil bags this year! I did some research and found a quarry in town that carries local ORGANIC humus soil. Score! I was so thrilled to bring home a truckload home the day Ty built the box. Tyler’s parents used the quarry’s soil last year and had such a glorious garden yield. Their garden had a different glow to it then ours that’s for sure. As far as  plastic goes we did use some for wrapping around the box to trap the heat inside which creates a greenhouse effect. I know there’s gotta be an alternative and it’s definitely on the green up the garden list.

After building a bed from wood he built a raised bed from bricks (given to us by a customer who no longer had use for them). He lined the brick bed with cardboard and viola’ it became a new home for some lettuce! My husband REALLY enjoys doing this so I have to admit he does get carried away. It’s his passion so I try not to step in the way. He bought the lettuce from Lowe’s so it could be Monsanto laden… but hopefully living in organic humus it will balance out the negative. Nevertheless, it too is doing well and will hopefully has fresh lettuce in just a couple weeks maybe even sooner.

He also planted some old veggie seeds just for kicks and on a whim one sunny afternoon alongside our driveway (next to a Raspberry bush he bought the same day).  Honestly, I don’t know how great the Raspberry bush will do (let’s hope for the best). As of right now, it’s doing surprisingly well ( all of the rain has been a major benefit). Some of the seeds in the patch alongside the drive away are also beginning to sprout. Yippee!

Speaking of seeds, we planted our first batch of freedom seeds this afternoon! Yes, that’s right, you can get heirloom and organic seeds directly from the Dervaes family…

“Seeds for the people!”

and to save on shipping costs and carbonemissions the hub was able to pick them up. Sweeeet!

Reused seed starter!

What we planted

- Red Russian Kale

- Cayenne Peppers

- Anaheim Peppers

- Red Bell Peppers

- Peace Vine  Red Cherry Tomato

- Valencia Tomato

- Brandywine Tomato

- Cherokee Purple Tomato

-  Aunt Ruby’s German Green (real green tomato’s *squee*)

We still have more tomato seeds to plant and a few other varietys of seeds that don’t need to be started indoors. I’m really, really, excited about 2010’s gardening adventure. Planting pure seeds, free of chemicals; makes me grin from ear to ear.

“The seeds from the Little Homestead in the City are carefully screened for genetic manipulation.…they possess the nutritive properties of old and locally developed strains, based on eatability instead of portability.”

If you have not yet seen the Dervaes family documentary Homegrown Revolution-you can view it here!   Their honest commitment to live sustainably makes me realize how important it is to support their cause and continue to fight the good fight.

I encourage you to “break new ground” and start your own victory garden.

Liberate your yard & get down and dirty doing it. 

Have you started planning your garden?

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Summary of Summer

Hey guys! Happy 09-09-09!  Still around. Database crashed and I wasn’t able to get to it until last night. Sorry about that!!

We had a jam packed weekend full of fun!

We took Tristan bowling and I even wore Clark for part of it. Don’t worry, I played it safe… & Tristan had a ball… LOL!

And as a last consolation for the summer and because our  membership is going to expire at the end of the month; we went to the zoo!

We BBQ’d yesterday at my in laws. I made a nice spinach salad and the neighbors actually made a raw dish! I was so impressed. It was a zucchini salad with lemon zest and sun dried tomatoes. Yum, yum!

This summer I’ve tried a few raw dishes and some new cooked ones. Our garden didn’t do as well as we’d hoped. This is the first year in five years that we’ve planted a garden and have not had much of a harvest. The insane high temps killed most of our plants or slowed their growth. We normally have tons and tons of tomatoes, zucchini, eggplant and peppers.  We hardly had any harvest of what we planted.  It was a bit discouraging but also part of gardening and the challenges you face. We’re determined to research some of the challenges through winter in hopes of a more successful garden next year. Hopefully, we  master composting by then and are able to provide the much needed nutrients we were possibly lacking and time of all things.  Thankfully, my mother in laws garden was flourishing because we’ve been eating some of her bounty.

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Garden Patch: Plant & Pick em’ 2009

Last year, it was so darn hot, our garden did not flourish like it has in previous years. Our planting efforts were not equally met with the picking! Everything we planted did not produce half of what it would normally. The temps were in the 100’s for weeks and weeks on end and it was dry fall/winter. Hardly any rains and it was humid. Weird. This year on the other hand, was a bit different.. Lot’s of rain and even a couple bouts of snow! We’re hoping the garden gets it’s groove back and will bring us delicious delectable’s… all from the earth we dug into to get it started.

There’s nothing more satisfying then walking in your freshly picked veggies and herbs. Just knowing that you created such a wonderful bounty…garden can also be a very nurturing experience. Producing your own food, canning and creating what cannot be eaten and will go rotten otherwise is gratifying. Besides that, it’s in your own backyard it’s local and did not come another country miles, and miles away!

Therefore, reducing our carbon footprint. The less carbon emission the better. Growing an organic vegetable garden also gives you the benefit of planting and caring for your garden without the use of chemicals. Which reduces any exposure to pesticides, insecticides and herbicides etc.

This year we planted the minimum amount of seeds due to drought issues within our county.  In previous years we have experimented and planted what we thought would be “fun” to grow. Ideally, your garden should only produce enough for your family- but, in all actuality this is never the case. Don’t over plant! Plant only what you know you can keep up with.  Believe me, you will start scratching your head for ideas on how to use up your bounty.

We started our seeds indoors (tomatoes, peppers and herbs) approximately 3 wks. ago and they’re ready to be transplanted into a pot before going outside. We planted the rest of our seeds in the garden a few days later.

This year we’ve planted:

* Tomatoes- Beefsteak, Cherry, and Roma

* Green Peppers

* Jalapeno and Serrano Peppers

* Herbs- parsley, basil, chives

* Cucumber

* Eggplant

* Sugar Snap Peas

* Pole Beans

* Carrots

* Cactus

* Artichoke

* Lettuce

With the way our economy is today growing your own food can cut back expenses on your grocery bills. Having fresh produce on hand makes it easier to prepare fantastic meals in minutes.

According to Revive the Victory Garden

During World War I and World War II, the United States government asked its citizens to plant gardens in order to support the war effort. Millions of people planted gardens. In 1943, Americans planted over 20 million Victory Gardens, and the harvest accounted for nearly a third of all the vegetables consumed in the country that year. Emphasis was placed on making gardening a family or community effort — not a drudgery, but a pastime, and a national duty.

No excuses for those of you with no backyard either!

I have no backyard, what can I do?

• You can combine vegetable plants with flowers in your frontyard.
• You can plant containers on your porch, patio, or balcony and can grow sprouts indoors.
• Check to see if you have a community garden available.
• Perhaps a neighbor or friend without time or ability would let you garden their yard, in exchange for some produce.

If these options are not available, you can also choose to purchase foods which are grown close to home by visiting your local farmer’s market or joining a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture). If local foods are not available to you, choose foods which use fewer chemical pesticides – such as organics, are in season, or have minimal packaging.

Within the last couple of years I’ve been following a family who lives sustainably and produces nearly 6,000 pounds of produce on a 1/10 of an acre. This family is not only impressive in the what their doing to reduce their eco footprint but they’re very inspiring too. These folks are living the Little House on The Prairie lifestyle in the very urban city of Pasadena, Ca. Follow them too! www.pathtofreedom.com

Join me this year in my Plant & Pick em’ festivities! Start your own Victory or Recession Garden- get out your gloves, sun hat, and gardening tools and start digging!  It’s all about having fun and learning as you go!! You don’t have to have a green thumb-it’s amazing what a little digging, planting, and watering can do.

Who’s with me?

” Growing your own food is the most dangerous occupation on Earth” – Jules Derveas

Our Little Patch of Life: Grow Your Own Vittles!

Zucchini

Carrots! What’s up doc?

Peaches!! I can smell the cobbler’s now…

Peas & Pole Beans bed

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