Andrea

It's bad, dogmom. The flies have already hatched and the slugs have already eaten all of my lettuce. AUGHHHH!

I've given up trying to raise lettuce outdoors where I live. It's either too hot, the perfect temperature for slugs and snails to feast, or too cold to get any growth in the leaves. I even mounted plastic gutters to a trellis I have against the fence, several feet off the ground last Fall. The snails and slugs found it. AUGHHHH! The lettuce had finally started coming back, I went outside this morning to harvest it, and it was GONE. Something devoured it. So, after a bit of research, I've decided to try growing lettuce indoors with a full spectrum light. I researched hydroponics but it needs too many specialized products, so I'm going with shallow beds of soil.

Question: I have a perfect spot. It's a tile counter 4'x2', with a place to hang a light, and it's a flat surface that pretty much is unused in our house. BUT, it's in a bathroom that is used constantly and has 2 cat litter boxes in it. I'm concerned that there could possibly be contamination from cat box dust and other things that float around in bathrooms. Since I plan on growing cut and come again varieties of lettuce, I'm not sure this is a good idea? Thoughts?

The second spot is a place that is prime real estate in our house. It's the pantry/service porch counter top where everything gets thrown (sometimes it's stacked several feet high!) as we come into the house. But, it's tile as well and would hold up well to having growing beds placed there. There is also a place to hang a light and plenty of electrical outlets. But, it would require training my family, something that I'm not sure is possible . . .

Then there is the option of simply continuing to purchase lettuce from the store. But we eat salad daily (I've been known to eat two salads a day) and while I supplement the store bought greens with home grown sprouts and other veggies, I would really like to find a way to grow our own lettuce. Especially this year with California in a drought - I can see the price of lettuce shooting out of reach. I've already planned to reduce the amount of annual veggies I grow and I've gotten rid of almost all of my non edible ornamentals, but lettuce and salads? I'm not willing to give those up. 85% of our diet is nondairy, vegetarian based with salad being the main course for most dinners. Part of the reason we eat this way is for cost savings as well as health reasons. But if prices respond to the drought the way I think they are going to, I'm not sure I can justify spending more for a head of lettuce than for a whole chicken or a beef steak.

Any thoughts, insights, opinions greatly appreciated!

P.S. There is also a budget constraint here. I researched the aerogardens and have been looking on craigslist, ebay, and thrift stores but no luck. Besides, those require special (i.e. expensive) supplements and growing mediums. I'd like to stick with dirt if possible. Dirt is free - I can make as much of that as I need!

While looking for some herbal recipes, I came across this site:

http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/

Including some free ebooks. Here's one on Dandelions:

http://thenerdyfarmwife.com/wp-content/uploads/2013/05/Things-to-do-with-dandelions.pdf

I've invested far more time today than I really have, but what a beautiful site! Great ideas and recipes, especially for those of us interested in herbals. Just thought I'd share, and remember, you've been warned about how much time this site will suck from your day!

I don't mean to be snarky, but did you look at our forum tagline? "Women helping women survive in the real world." There is very little that is "real" about Doomsday Preppers which makes it a show I almost never watch, except when I need a good laugh. I mean seriously, buying a helicopter as a "prep" item? Men Boys burying explosive charges in their own driveway so they can blow up beater cars? Watching two clueless girls spend an hour building a "chicken coop" that a racoon could get into in less than a minute?

And the cataclysmic events the preppers supposedly "prep" for? Axis shift? Asteroids? Oh, how about alien invasions? Have you guys done that one yet?

Seriously, have you read the site? Sure, we talk about extreme "what ifs" but most of us have a well stocked pantry to deal with the not so extreme events: illness, job loss, divorce, mental health issues, homelessness, elderly parents, death, etc. These events are far more devastating than a stupid space rock. Why? Because these are the shtf situations that have touched everyone of us on this board in a very real, very catastrophic way. These are the situations that are far more likely to happen, and these are the situations that actually do happen.

Sure, we may talk about composting toilets, and yes, a composting toilet would probably be a handy thing to have in a post-apocalyptic world. But do you know why most of us find the subject interesting? Because most of us garden. Why? Because food is not always affordable, is not always nutritious, and is quite often contaminated with FDA approved toxins. $hit is one of our most undervalued resources. Do you know how much water we could save? Do you know how much more fertile our soil would be if we composted our waste instead of flushing it away? And more importantly, do you know how much money we would save by making our own compost instead of buying it from the store? Because, you see, I don't think anyone here on this board has the means to buy a helicopter. Many of us struggle to buy compost, which is why homemade composting toilet threads can become quite the interesting topic of discussion here at Mrs. Survival.

Again, I apologize for the snark, but I don't think you'll find many "Doomsday Prepper" types here. There is nothing sensationalistic about the very real day to day survival that our members go through and I don't think your commercial sponsors would take too kindly by learning how many of their products people can live actually live without! (You should really check out the thread that discusses how toxic and unnecessary fabric softeners and dryer sheets are - truly mesmerizing television material! )

Thanks but I don't think my 17 year old daughter is going to want to give up hot showers and wifi . . .

The only thing I put in for my winter garden this year was kale, fava beans, and some garlic. I'm late planting my potatoes. I hope to get those in their planters on Monday. I have repotted my raspberries though, and I need to repot my jerusalem artichokes tomorrow afternoon if it stops raining. Of course, I hope it doesn't stop!

As for annuals, I don't plan on growing as much this year due to the drought. Instead of my usual 30-48 plants, I'll probably only put in 6-8 tomatoes. I may do a few cukes and squash and that will be it. I plan on using my water allotment to keep my perennials alive.

I was interested when I heard about it but the work involved for a decent sized garden is too much for me. I would also have to have someone dig out the soil, then haul the wood and cover it up. Too old for that much work. I am concerned about the wood pulling the nitrogen from the soil until it rots. If I started out with fresh cut trees it could take a few years before the wood returns the nitrogen back to the soil.

 

If you do this please post pictures so we can follow along.

 

 

 

John

Wormie, you only have to worry about nitrogen depletion for a year or so. So, if you want to fertilize the first two years, you can. Or, an easier solution is to plant a nitrogen fixer cover crop, and then chop & drop. (Leave the root nodules in the ground)

I've experimented a bit this year. I had to repot my raspberries, so in half of the pots I put about 12" of wood in the bottom (3' tall pots) and in half I didn't. I'm curious to see how it turns out!

Dogmom, we have heavy clay here as well. I've slowly (9 years) transformed most of my planting beds into really rich soil. I started out by treating every hole I dug to plant something in as a "planter". I would fill the hole back up with compost and planting mix and then plant my seedling in that. I'd throw the leftover clay onto the compost pile. Slowly but surely, my soil is really coming along! You can also compost directly into the clay, especially now that the ground is wet and soft. Dig holes here and there, throw your compost directly into the hole and cover it up and forget it! If you use this method, it's probably best to make sure your compostables are chopped up fairly small. Every so often, I'll uncover the remnants of a banana peel that I didn't chop up! It's no big deal.

Welcome back! Yes, I too get the virus alert everytime I log in. I finally gave up and just ignore it!

I am so sorry about your horse. (((HUGS)))

And CONGRATS on the new baby! We need a baby forum down in the protected area of the forum. That way all of us Mrs.S "aunts & granmas" can ooh and aah over all the new arrivals!

Meditate, exercise, computer mahjong, gardening. All served with generous portions of chamomile and lemon balm tea!

Okay, I must request that you find your folder - sourdough chocolate cake sounds YUMMY!

Thanks for the info and recipes! Sourdough is something I've wanted to try and just haven't gotten around to. I'm not sure I'm organized enough to keep my starter happy and fed in the fridge! I make a "cheater" sourdough, which means it tastes like sourdough but really isn't! I use this recipe: http://www.nytimes.com/2006/11/08/dining/081mrex.html?_r=0

But, instead of using water, I use warm beer. I also never let it sit overnight. I've found that it rises better for me if I mix it in the morning and then bake it in the evening.

Keep us posted with your future experiments! WE LOVE BREAD at our house!

Momo, have you thought about renting? No property taxes, no repairs, and in some instances, no utilities. Believe me, landlords would fight for the chance to rent to an established older couple who want to downsize and simplify.

Everything I've read, other than advertisements, has been really, really negative.

Here's an awesome article:

http://www.daveramsey.com/article/the-ugly-truth-of-reverse-mortgages/lifeandmoney_realestate/

Snip:

The U.S. Government Accountability Office last year found dozens of misleading marketing claims about reverse mortgages in materials distributed by several large lenders. We’ve already debunked the first two:

• Lifetime income – Income from a reverse mortgage stops if you sell your house or move.
• Never lose your home – You can lose your home if you can’t afford to pay taxes, insurance, or maintain the home.
• Never owe more than the value of your home – If your loan exceeds the value of your home, you or your heirs will have to make up the difference if the home isn’t sold when the loan is due.
• False implications that a reverse mortgage is a government benefit rather than a loan – Some lenders even use government logos to convince you to buy.

THANKS!!! I've been doing a bit through textbroker. Pay is lousy, but I'm getting my writing chops back since it's been almost 3 decades since college! Going to sign up now!

It's very pretty, but what a lot of work to install. Also, it's important to store your jars out of the light. Not only do I not have that much wall space, what wall space I do have I wouldn't want to have to cover with a dark sheet. It would look terrible.

Now, if I had a basement, maybe this would be worth considering? But for now, I'll stick with my regular cabinets. They're a pain to rotate, but things are kept in the dark and out of sight.

9%

Careful with the peroxide. My vet got mad at me for treating one of my cat's abscesses with peroxide. According to him, the peroxide can keep the wound open and prevent it from closing and healing. Use an antibiotic ointment on the wound with pus and watch it closely. Hopefully your kitty won't need any antibiotics. Good luck!

I just wanted to swing by and thank all of you for the wonderful ornaments! I took on extra work this season, threw out my back, and have been frantically trying to catch up ever since. Thank you all so much. I plan on catching up with all of you on December 26! (I've sort of taken 3 weeks off - which means I'll be busier than ever. sigh . . .)

Merry Christmas and thank you all so much!

Well, mine are going out really, really late. I've started them but I won't have time to finish them up until Thanksgiving weekend. I'm hoping to get them in the mail on Dec. 2. Sorry for the delay. First I procrastinated and then I got caught up in work.

My family usually comes down but they are unable to this year. I'm fine with it, this is a crazy, hectic time for dh and I at work and it's nice not having overnight company stress on top of all of it. My dd's best friend and her mother are coming over and we'll cook the usual Thanksgiving only recipes. In fact, I got all of my grocery shopping finished up this morning. I get to stay out of the stores for the pre-Thanksgiving madness! Hurray!

Safeway is 59cents a lb with a $25 dollar purchase. Save-Mart is buy a ham, get a free turkey.

Happy, Happy Day!

Thank You, Snowmom! It's adorable!

You should have a PP arriving from me as well. How much of a discount will you get for three years? Seriously. Let's take care of this! We know it won't be cheaper next year!