Thursday, March 3, 2011

Urban Homesteading

I'm a wee bit of a compulsive researcher.  I know, I'm a rare breed.  But, once I get my mind on something I can spend hours every day trying to figure out how to get what I want.  But this can't actually be manipulated, to say, something my husband wants, because unless I'm interested I get bored out of my mind.

So, my latest endeavor is to use the 1/5 acre lot our house is on to it's fullest advantage.  I've ordered two books, one on Homesteading, Mini Farming: Self-Sufficiency on 1/4 Acre and one on gardening, The New Self-Sufficient Gardener. I grew up on 24 acres in the NE corner of Washington State, and being outside and using the resources on the land was just part of our life. We added new planters every year, had an orchard, canned our produce, and built a 2200 square foot house out of the trees grown on our land.


When I was younger we had a couple of sheep and goats, but I really don't know anything about raising them and am not really what one might call an 'animal person'.  But I LOVE to be outside and work with my hands, I'm really rather useless indoors ;)

So, back to this year.  I've been perusing the  Botanical Interests and Baker Creek Seeds websites and have put together an order that may need some serious paring back.  $80-100 worth of seed might be a little excessive...  Fortunately I've found two other families to split the packets with which will afford me the fruit trees I want to plant :)

I'm also considering Silkie chickens, just two, but still contemplating the cute and egg production to poop ratio.  But, come on, they're like big fluffy cotton balls running around on two little chicken feet!  And they still produce eggs, and are considered the best 'pet' chicken.  When looking at a site where we could order the baby chicks, it actually warned against rubbing the baby chicks on your face.  How did they know?!  That was my exact intention!

3 comments:

Kari said...

Oh Tracy I can't wait to own land!! I dream of the day of having chickens and goats and a huge garden and orchard!

Kathy said...

AND every time you came home around mothers' day, (once you left for college and life)
you would help me choose and plant our hanging baskets! Yep, you've always preferred outdoors to in. You go, girl! Do what you can with what you've got and pass on the legacy (EXCEPT rubbing a fuzzy chicken in your face!)

Just what are those Woods up to? said...

Oh my gosh, they're so freaking cute!