dogmom4

Hi Turtlemama!

Weekends it’s early morning. During the work week it’s late afternoons. But lately…since we’ve gotten back together…it’s pretty much any chance I get.

Bumping this up because I’m looking into whether or not they can be grown where I live.

We’re glad you’re back!

I saw my first butterfly yesterday....early in the year for us.

Growing in a small space can be done. You might not be able to grow all the vegetables or fruit for your family but you can definitely supplement well. Here are some photos of things that I grew last year and some things that are happening now. If you’re thinking you have to spend a lot of money on the containers those brown containers came from the dollar tree. And they are useful for growing flowers or herbs… I think I’ve done strawberries in them before too. My soil is hard clay… So I do a lot of container gardening… I use grow bags for the majority of my growing... You can purchase them and they do last a good while. I’ve had some of them for 4 growing seasons. Or you can do like I do… become part of a neighborhood free/barter group and ask if people have grow bags they don’t want to use anymore… I’ve gotten a half a dozen at least for free.

Happy birthday Pauline!

I’ve eaten broccoli raab before and it tastes like broccoli. I’m pretty sure I’ve seen seed packets at my local hardware store before...if you can’t find it there you can get them on Amazon.

Thanks Buttercup! Nice to see you back!

What did you think of the second book? As good as the first one?

Wow. Those really look good.

Thanks CG! I can read them for free.

Dee, I read One Second After years ago...that was a hard book to read. Had a few nightmares after I read it. Have you read the second one that came out? I don’t remember what it’s called. Miki...I just purchased the Altered Genes series. Looks interesting!

I’ve always had my hair a bit below the shoulders but as my hands have gotten older it’s been too hard to deal with it. I’m no longer straightening it...so last summer I cut it short. Now I can wet it a bit, add some hair product and voila...I have my very quick and easy curly ‘fro. I can throw on a headband or a head scarf to be fancy if I want to and I’m good to go. It’s so much faster and easier....

Oh no euphraysne! I’m so sorry. Praying you heal quickly.

Yes! I just ordered from them last week. My order is due to be shipped after March 30. I used to order from Honeyville but they’ve been out of stock with everything for months.

Martianchick, I hope it nothing serious with your mom. I’m kinda skeptical about numbers myself. I was in the ER three weeks ago...in a lot of abdominal pain. Hubby and I got there at noon...we didn’t get seen until 4 and didn’t leave until 7....and I never made it into a room...I had a hallway bed. And there were permanent labels on the wall with so many other beds down the hallway. I’ve had Kaiser for over 35 years...and this was a large, relatively new hospital...I’ve never seen this before.

Today is going to be organizing and some garden work.

Welcome back Wychwood!

Jeepers, you might be a porch dweller...but you can grow lots on that porch in containers. Just sayin’...

Ok...you got me running down the rabbit hole...and I don’t even have chickens. I remembered years ago someone setting up a way to feed black soldier flies to their chickens as a way to reduce feeding costs...this link isn’t the one but it has some good ideas. https://www.urbanfarm.org/2016/05/23/black-soldier-flies/ https://gardenpool.org/beneficial-insects/black-soldier-fly-composter-automatic-chicken-feeder https://youtu.be/MfnyFFIrcPo And this video shows a cool setup with a bin you can purchase. Seems like a great way to reduce chicken feed costs.

Mother, here are a couple of links to some automated chicken coops. I love the idea of a green roof. https://imgur.com/a/ntH7k https://www.treehugger.com/add-some-automation-your-chicken-coop-4862388

Ok, I’m really loving this thread. Mother or stillNana if you could recommend one book for with good basic knowledge what would it be?

Nice setup Littlesister!

Hey everyone. I feel like I’ve been doing some form of “urban homesteading” since I was in my 20’s. I’m fortunate to live in an area where we can grow year round...so there’s always opportunities to try something. Anywhere I’ve lived I always had a small garden..even when I lived in an apartment I had small containers that had herbs or patio tomatoes. Eventually we moved into a house with a small backyard and I was able to expand my garden experiences...I still put myself on a list for a community garden plot and was able to maintain one for several years. Another move and we had a house with an oversized lot...that was fun...because not only could I garden I could have chickens. We can have up to a half dozen hens in my area...I could hear that quite a few of the neighbors had them. You could hear them bright and early every morning. I loved having my girls...they were a great learning experience. I am a teacher so I got an incubator for my classroom...my students and their families got to learn about the process and I got new babies for my home. I also learned that just because you live in a small city that predators are still there...we have hawks who saw my girls as a favorite meal...visualize me running out the back door yelling and waving my arms to scare off a Swensons hawk that had swooped down and was trying to fly off with a hen almost as big as him. My hen survived but I almost had a heart attack. Raccoons also live here in abundance..they actually live in the sewer system and come out at night. I had to learn how to fortify my hen house because regular chicken wire means nothing to those bad boys...I lost a couple of hens to them unfortunately. I also had to learn how to care for egg bound hens and a hen who was attacked by a raccoon...she eventually lost an eye but survived the attack. Google and YouTube are wonderful resources. Fast forward five years and we had to downsize to a smaller space because of some big health issues with dh and we are now in a duplex with a smallish backyard. I farmed the chickens out to friends and do mostly container gardening because this yard is hard clay...actually all the ground in my area is hard clay...raised beds are what most people do to combat that issue. I do wish for more gardening space...but as I’ve gotten older I’ve come to realize this might be all I can handle. And you can grow a lot in a small space. I’ll try to post some pictures later.