Country Livin' In The City

I like to read blogs. Mostly by authors who have hobby farms or gardening interests. Many who have homesteads. Up until a few years ago, I had an image in my mind that I could have that...when I had more time. I could have that...when I had more room/land. I could have that...when I could get my husband on board. What I came to realize was that if I stopped all the reading, and started some of the doing, then I could (maybe) have that too.

The fact of the matter is, my husband and I both have demanding jobs, we have three children and four grandchildren, and so life is busy.  If I wanted to have this type of lifestyle that I longed for, I would have to start in baby steps and watch things progress slowly.  So that is exactly what I did.

I saved my jumbo coffee containers. Then I purchased a metal garbage can. I drilled the holes in it, dug the hole to sink it, and viola! Ready to compost! Of course all of these steps took months.

Next, I started planting seeds at the greenhouse. I wanted to grow a variety of herbs but was concerned about the space limitations we had. I started to research container gardening. I ended up accidentally coming across an étagère on craigslist (basically an outdoor shelfing unit...I thought I had pictures, but I don't). This was a great solution for us. Seeds became plants and we had herbs coming out of our ears! 

About the same time, I inherited my grandmother's food dehydrator. Totally old school. Totally awesome! I researched a bit and then started harvesting herbs and drying them.  Some I washed and froze. It was experiment and that was okay because I had no experience to go on. None. And it all worked out fine. I had to let go and trust my instincts. Feeling confidant about my dehydrating experiments with herbs, I started to dehydrate all kinds of fruit, too. Yum!  Again, all of these steps took months.

Dehydrating led to taking a stab at veggie gardening. And this is what I am currently working on. I recently planted zucchini and summer squash in a bed that would normally be left for flowers. Why? Because it's in my front yard. I don't think I'm someone that could totally replace my front lawn with veggies, etc. but I'm trying to be creative to create more space for food stuff.  We are also working to put together two raised beds, as well.  All of these steps may take weeks or months. But that's okay.  We are working towards it.  I'm not just reading about it anymore.  I'm doing it.  And if it happens this year, great.  And if it doesn't, then there is always next year.

Zucchini 

New Veggie Bed With Driplines

New Veggie Bed

I still like to grow flowers and my husband wouldn't be able to give up his love for a vibrant, green lawn.  And there are definite things we can work on to be more sustainable.  But we are working on these, one thing at a time.  And that's okay with me.

Compost

Composting is such an un-sexy topic.  Not that I am into things being super sexy or anything, but it's just so unappealing sounding.  And I happen to be somewhat passionate about compost.

A couple of years back, I was on a mission to compost whatever I could in order for disposables to avoid a trip to the landfill.  And if you're from my home state of Rhode Island, you know the joke that the highest point in the state is the landfill.  So, I had 3 jumbo coffee containers that I would rotate through.  I would leave them under the kitchen cabinet and run them out to the small compost waste pail I had in the yard.  It's possible my step-children thought I was nuts.  (The waste pail was a mini project I found instructions for online.  Total cost was approximately $25.)  I was very faithful about this.  Any time the dinner plates were being scrapped, compostable materials were scrapped into the coffee containers, which eventually made their way outside.  Making coffee?  Old grinds went into the container.  I did this throughout the fall and winter.  I would turn the compost with a garden hoe in order for it to decompose better or faster.  Come springtime the contents of the pail was a rich, dark brown color.  And being it was my first composting experiment, I thought I would use it to fertilize my gardens.  Well apparently the contents hadn't broken down as much as I thought they had and Maggie, our Lhasa Apso, was enjoying the remnants of our table scraps...straight out of the garden!

Coffee can mini compost bins.

Compost pail partially buried.

Almost empty bin.

I didn't want to abandon my efforts, though.  So I started to plan a large 4' X 4' wooden bin that would allow enough room to divide it into two sections.  One section that has 'finished' compost and another that we are currently using. Right now we are in the midst of 'unorganized compost'.  And by that I mean there is a large pile on the side of the yard that is waiting for said compost bin to be completed.  One side is built and the other three are still in process.  One of these days I will have 'organized compost'.  Until then, I am recommitting to composting one coffee container at a time.

One of the completed sides for the future bin.

The 'unorganized compost'.

The site for the new bin.

Do you compost?  Would you consider it if you knew the benefits?