My Quest To Be An Urban Farmer

In today’s post, we talk about the purchase Janette made to help her be a farmer in her walled in courtyard.

Hello, dear friends.  We hope you had as good as it could be holiday.  Mike and I, of course, celebrated at home with an Easter brunch for two, (I shared it on our instastories,) a nicely set table, a family Zoom session, a walk, a movie,and a good book.

Last year we joined a local CSA.  That stands for Community Supported Agriculture.  The way it worked is that in April I wrote out a check to a local farmer.  In exchange, she provided us with a box of produce each week from early June until late September.  Although it sounded great at first, I have elected to not participate this year.  Here’s why…….First of all, we traveled a lot last summer, and I had to pass on half of the boxes that were available to us.  And secondly, there was a lot of food that I don’t eat like kale and all kinds of peppers.  Those foods don’t like me.  Mike and I discussed it, and I decided that I could grow the veggies that we do eat in our courtyard and have fun with it.

In order to make that happen, I purchased this moveable raised bed.  It, along with some in-ground plantings, will provide plenty of fresh produce for Mike and me this year.  I will be planting radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, herbs, and tomatoes.  I might plant small pumpkins and gourds, too.

When we talked about downsizing to a townhouse ten years ago, one of my big requests was that it had to have some dirt.  I didn’t want to live in a home with just a patio, deck, or balcony.  I still wanted to get my hands dirty.  Our last townhouse had dirt, and this one does, too.  Last year I planted annuals and left it at that.  It was quite tame, and this year I want to go a little wilder.  So, in addition to the veggies, I will plant six David Austen roses (they are here and waiting to be planted), perennials, and my beloved herbs.  I also will plant some zinnias, which I have already started, and a few more annuals for constant color.

A big plus about our courtyard is that there is a side area that cannot be seen unless we walk to the end of the courtyard and turn right.  That is where we keep our grill, and that is where our garden bed will be.  I was standing in the hidden area when I took this photo.  However, since the raised garden has wheels, I can roll it out each morning to get its sunshine.  Also, since we installed an in-ground irrigation system in January, we will also be able to have a drip hose in the raised bed and other beds.

I am so excited about this experiment.  I have started parsley and basil in egg cartons along with the zinnia seeds.  Thankfully, I bought many seed packets before the lockdown, but I still have had to order some of the seeds online.  However, my favorite local nursery has curbside pick-up so I will be able to put in an order there and pick up the perennials along with annuals for our front yard.

If you think that I am over-reaching on what I can plant on my quest to become an urban farmer, then check out this book about square foot gardening.  Jordan has had several square foot gardens and was happy with the amount of produce she grew.

I will be sure to keep you updated on the progress of my quest to be an urban farmer.  Right now we are waiting a few more days to plant our seeds because we will have some really cold nights this week.

Take care.

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