This has been our home and garden for the almost the last 7 months. There is still so much to do, I've learned that it is an ongoing process and I am encouraged by reading blogs, websites and books about urban homesteading, gardening and raising chickens. In the next year I plan to add goat (for dairy) and bees.
I was lucky that this house had a garden area with several raised beds and another area with established raspberries, strawberries and blueberries. A friend gave me rhubarb when she divided hers and I planted broccoli, cabbage, brussels sprouts, carrots, radishes, kale, tomatoes (4 varieties), tomatillos, peppers (anaheim, bell, and chocolate), basil, corn, potatoes, beans, eggplant, zucchini, squash and asparagus. Also planted two apple trees- a honeycrisp and an espalier with 6 varieties. I plan to copy Erica's mini orchard plans and plant cherries and pears next year.
In April my daughter, Meg, got chicks for her birthday. Two silkies, a silver lace wyandotte and an americauna. One of the silkies turned out to be a rooster so last week we took him to a farm where there aren't city codes prohibiting his presence and brought home four new chicks.
Below are some photos showing our first 6 months in this wonderful adventure. Thanks for stopping by!
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| Broccoli, Brussels and Cabbage- they are much bigger now...but still no veggies...hoping!! |
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| Poppies!! |
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| Rhubarb leaves make great hats! |
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| The shed is now the chicken coop- eventually this will be the goat pen area as well. |
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| first strawberry harvest |
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| Strawberries are best shared! |
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| "Kristin Chenowith" the rooster before going to his new home. |
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| The greenhouse, rainbarrels in front |
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| Rhubarb |
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| The first two silkies as babies |
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| from top to bottom: kale, radishes/turnips/carrots and cabbage |
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| The "teenage" hens now- we are expecting the first eggs sometime in August |
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| The girls in their yard and converted hay shed coop |
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| overgrown herb garden- lavender in front, lemon mint and oregano. I plan to replace the lemon mint with spearmint (mojitos!) and add rosemary |
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| three of the four new baby chicks that replaced the rooster. A wellsummer, black australorp, New Hampshire Red and a speckled sussex. |
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| The strawberries are pretty well spent by now but they were so good. There are three rows of strawberries and to the left are two rows of raspberries- each row of raspberries has a blueberry bush at the east end. |
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The blueberry bushes have loads of green berries- hoping the sun sticks around so they will ripen!
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| Espaliered apple tree with 6 varieties |
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| honey crisp apples- 9 of them! Just planted this from root stock last winter |
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| Honeycrisp apple tree in corner of berry patch |
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| zuchs, peppers, squash and maybe a cuke? My labels got mixed up! |
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| tomatillos |
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| tomatoes, with some tomatillos and basil as well |
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| corn, beans, and potatoes in the bin |
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| the Brussels, broc, and cauliflower now- lots bigger but no "fruit" yet. |
