{"id":44475,"date":"2020-04-12T16:28:21","date_gmt":"2020-04-12T21:28:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=44475"},"modified":"2020-04-12T17:07:07","modified_gmt":"2020-04-12T22:07:07","slug":"my-quest-to-be-an-urban-farmer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/?p=44475","title":{"rendered":"My Quest To Be An Urban Farmer"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><em>In today&#8217;s post, we talk about the purchase Janette made to help her be a farmer in her walled in courtyard.<\/em><\/p>\n<p>Hello, dear friends.\u00a0 We hope you had as good as it could be holiday.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p>Last year we joined a local CSA.\u00a0 That stands for Community Supported Agriculture.\u00a0 The way it worked is that in April I wrote out a check to a local farmer.\u00a0 In exchange, she provided us with a box of produce each week from early June until late September.\u00a0 Although it sounded great at first, I have elected to not participate this year.\u00a0 Here&#8217;s why&#8230;&#8230;.First of all, we traveled a lot last summer, and I had to pass on half of the boxes that were available to us.\u00a0 And secondly, there was a lot of food that I don&#8217;t eat like kale and all kinds of peppers.\u00a0 Those foods don&#8217;t like me.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-44479 size-shareaholic-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-1-640x853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-1-640x853.jpg 640w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-1-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-1-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>In order to make that happen, I purchased <a href=\"https:\/\/www.homedepot.com\/p\/New-England-Arbors-Sunseeker-2-ft-x-4-ft-White-Vinyl-Raised-Garden-Bed-VT17100\/309979570?irgwc=1&amp;cm_mmc=afl-ir-10078-456723-the2seasons.com&amp;clickid=V3cwnt157xyORqVwUx0Mo3cmUkixvFxVWUsKQM0\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">this moveable raised bed<\/span>.<\/a>\u00a0 It, along with some in-ground plantings, will provide plenty of fresh produce for Mike and me this year.\u00a0 I will be planting radishes, carrots, onions, lettuce, zucchini, yellow squash, herbs, and tomatoes.\u00a0 I might plant small pumpkins and gourds, too.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42125\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Courtyard-2-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Courtyard-2-683x1024.jpg 683w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Courtyard-2-215x323.jpg 215w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Courtyard-2-768x1152.jpg 768w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/Courtyard-2-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">When we talked about downsizing to a townhouse ten years ago, one of my big requests was that it had to have some dirt.\u00a0 I didn&#8217;t want to live in a home with just a patio, deck, or balcony.\u00a0 I still wanted to get my hands dirty.\u00a0 Our last townhouse had dirt, and this one does, too.\u00a0 Last year I planted annuals and left it at that.\u00a0 It was quite tame, and this year I want to go a little wilder.\u00a0 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.\u00a0 I also will plant some zinnias, which I have already started, and a few more annuals for constant color.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-42115\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_5657-683x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"960\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_5657-683x1024.jpg 683w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_5657-215x323.jpg 215w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_5657-768x1152.jpg 768w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/06\/IMG_5657-300x450.jpg 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>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.\u00a0 That is where we keep our grill, and that is where our garden bed will be.\u00a0 I was standing in the hidden area when I took this photo.\u00a0 However, since the raised garden has wheels, I can roll it out each morning to get its sunshine.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-44481 size-shareaholic-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard1-640x853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard1-640x853.jpg 640w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard1-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard1-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I am so excited about this experiment.\u00a0 I have started parsley and basil in egg cartons along with the zinnia seeds.\u00a0 Thankfully, I bought many seed packets before the lockdown, but I still have had to order some of the seeds online.\u00a0 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.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-44480 size-shareaholic-thumbnail\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-640x853.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-640x853.jpg 640w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-242x323.jpg 242w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/04\/Garden-bed-in-courtyard-768x1024.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 640px) 100vw, 640px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>If you think that I am over-reaching on what I can plant on my quest to become an urban farmer, then check out <a href=\"https:\/\/www.amazon.com\/gp\/product\/1591865484\/ref=as_li_qf_asin_il_tl?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=the2sea-20&amp;creative=9325&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;creativeASIN=1591865484&amp;linkId=7ae68b9955d90afaf042f31d3296508a\"><span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">this book about<\/span> <span style=\"color: #ff0000;\">square foot gardening<\/span><\/a>.\u00a0 Jordan has had several square foot gardens and was happy with the amount of produce she grew.<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: center;\"><img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-10614\" src=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Slugs-other-view-579x1024.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"579\" height=\"1024\" srcset=\"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Slugs-other-view-579x1024.jpg 579w, http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/06\/Slugs-other-view-182x323.jpg 182w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 579px) 100vw, 579px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>I will be sure to keep you updated on the progress of my quest to be an urban farmer.\u00a0 Right now we are waiting a few more days to plant our seeds because we will have some really cold nights this week.<\/p>\n<p>Take care.<\/p>\n<p>Affiliate link used at no extra expense to you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>In today&#8217;s post, we talk about the purchase Janette made to help her be a farmer in her walled in courtyard. Hello, dear friends.\u00a0 We hope you had as good as it could be holiday.\u00a0 Mike and I, of course, celebrated at home with an Easter brunch for two, (I shared it on our instastories,) [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":44479,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_genesis_hide_title":false,"_genesis_hide_breadcrumbs":false,"_genesis_hide_singular_image":false,"_genesis_custom_body_class":"","_genesis_custom_post_class":"","_genesis_layout":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44475"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=44475"}],"version-history":[{"count":11,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44475\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":44489,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/44475\/revisions\/44489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/44479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=44475"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=44475"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/the2seasons.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=44475"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}