Saturday, March 5, 2011

Urban Homesteadin'!

Wow, it's been a wild month and a half. One of my dearest friends passed away suddenly the morning after my last update so I got a bit sidetracked. But, we're back! We've all heard the controversy about "that family" stirring up things in the urban homesteadin' community, and you know what, in a way their horribly distasteful actions have done good. It brought us all together as one united front, and introduced us all to each other. That's the only thing I give them credit for. But enough about them, we're here to talk about the latest goings on in THIS family. As usual... busy busy Turtles!
The first peapod harvested, they were delicious!
We enjoyed our first harvest, the peas bloomed and within a few weeks we had a couple pounds of sugar snap peas... they were fantastic in stir fry alongside the broccoli! Our heads were only two inches but they were flavorful.

As of this week's planting, what began as a little recycling experiment and a teeny bag of potting soil has become a full patio garden, and here's the tally of what we have currently growing:
 1 unknown tomato plant
  Celebrity tomatoes (it is the ONLY hybrid I have ever grown, and it was an accidental purchase)
 Roma tomatoes
 Orange Cherry heirloom tomatoes
 Cucumbers
 Zucchini
 Yellow Onions
 Garlic
 Mesclun Lettuces
 Catmint
 Calendula
 Spearmint (we had to divide them already and repot, they are so prolific!)
Basil
Oregano
Thyme
Tricolor Sage
Celery
Broccoli
Purple, Green, and Wax Bush Beans
Purple, and Green Pole Beans
Red, Yellow, Green, and Purple Cayenne Peppers
Red, and Yellow Bell Peppers
Red, Orange, Yellow, Purple, and White Carrots
Wheat Grass for our two kittycats
and a Blueberry Bush!
I probably forgot a thing or two, I've planted so many things I'm losing track. That's a good thing I think.
All the peppers and 2 tomato plants are still in the windowsill as they are not quite ready to be outdoors yet.

The most recent shot of the garden... those pots won't look empty long :) There are more plants behind me in the ground and on the wall too.

And finally, after a trip to the Arboretum's Wild Mushroom fair, we brought home a bag of Oyster Mushroom spawn. After three patient weeks, we are only a few days away from harvesting some delicious mushrooms!
Day 19... they're already over an inch wide... they should triple over the weekend. YUM!
Aside from our lovely garden we have, I have also been making clothing, and in an effort to go green and also save my feminine health and my poor sensitive skin, I began making some very stylish reusable menstrual products! I made them from super soft cotton flannel, cotton/bamboo blend batting, with a waterproof layer in the base and I was very happy with the results... I use less pads, they are so much more soft and comfortable than disposable maxi's with the plastic wings, far less odor, and super easy to manage! Just toss them in a little pail of cold water and wash them with my darks and colors respectively at the end of the week. I even made Strawberry Shortcake liners for the rest of the month! I will never go back to disposables, and I highly recommend cloth pads to all women. Here are some examples. I may begin selling them to friends and family in the near future.
Celestial Liner

Wing Closure

Super Long Extra

Roll them up and take them with!

Everyday liners

Regular Wing Maxi
Well I think that's it for this post. You can expect updates within a week or two, stay tuned!
So tell me, what's in your Urban Home-stead's garden?

3 comments:

  1. The peas look delicious! (So sorry about your friend...)

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  2. He was a very good friend and he is certainly missed. I didn't believe it at first, I got the call early in the morning on 1/11/11. I thought it was a prank in the beginning. No one expects a healthy 26 year old man to die of flu complications. But I've made peace with it and moved on. Life goes on, and there is plenty of life to be had :)

    My daughter said those were the best peas she ever had. She's definitely hooked on homegrown food ^.^

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  3. Hi! Just starting my 'urban homestead' this year and checking out blogs of other moms who are making it happen. I love that you're not letting your lack of land stop you like I let it stop me for so many years! It looks great!

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