Around the Urban Homestead

I've always called our small plot our "urban homestead," but honestly, that always felt more like a goal than a current label.  But each year, as we add more beds and learn more, truly claiming the title of an urban homestead feels a bit closer.  And this year, it feels like we're nearly there.  This year, if all our tomatoes produce well, we should be canning!  CANNING!  That's huge.  I mean, a lot of urban homesteaders focus on eating just what is in season because really, there's often not room to grow enough to preserve.  This year I just decided to go big.  Every year I wish I'd put in more.  Worst case scenario, I go big and have too much.  That's better than not having enough.  So, we have 71 tomato plants currently soaking up the sun on our tiny plot!

71!!!

 

 

Not all the tomatoes are canning types.  At least 7 are "salad" tomatoes; cherry or yellow pear. 

Getting started on the long awaited "Secret Garden" helped in creating more room on our small plot to plant a lot of these tomatoes.  We have a South facing side yard that does nothing but grow weeds.  For years I've wanted to put raised beds down the whole strip.  We put in beds slowly, as time and money allows.  Over the last few months, Zac was able to put in raised beds down two thirds of this area.  The wood was free as he used our old deck boards.  So the only cost here was on soil and soaker hoses.  Planting areas like this excites me because when you urban homestead and don't have fields upon fields available, you really have to get creative and plant in any little speck of ground you can find.  This side yard will up our yield by A LOT!

 

 

In addition to the tomatoes, the garden is basically completely "in".  Meaning, everything is planted and now I just weed and water.  Its my FAVORITE time of year and my FAVORITE time of day is when I go out to water each night. 

 

 

What are we eating from the garden now?  Greens.  Lots of them!  This is our first year doing Kale and we're all pretty much in love with it.  We eat it in salad, smoothies, and muffins.  Right now we have more than we can keep up with so I'm freezing it for smoothies later on.  Onion tops (what do you technically call them?) are cut up in salads. 

 

 

We can't keep chickens, but a few months ago we officially made the switch to only farm fresh eggs.  Oh my goodness, why didn't we do that years ago?  Though we all long to be able to keep chickens and are sad that we can't, we are happy to be buying farm fresh eggs from our many friends who raise chickens.  We have also switched over to goats milk soap, made locally by a friend who is a TRUE homesteader.  Its wonderful stuff!

 

Having our garden grow in size, and making decisions that bring other homesteaders' products into our home, make the label of "Urban Homesteader" feel almost within reach.  Its exciting!