I am not a big fan of New Year’s resolutions simply because I don’t have a good record of keeping them. However, this year I want to try something different--my one and only resolution is to slowly turn my garden into a mini urban farm. I know this may sound a bit crazy, especially since my lot is quite small.
My idea is to produce some of the food that my family consumes and that way we’ll know exactly what it is we are eating. I want to make sure that “organic” is truly chemical-free and the only way I can be sure is to grow it myself. I also think that is wrong for us to insist on eating certain fruits year-round since this entails having to transport out-of-season produce by air from other countries and even other continents. All of us need to reduce our carbon footprint, since global warming is real and threatens the very existence of our fragile planet. I know that it’s impossible to produce all the food we consume but we have to start somewhere.
So, without further ado, this is what I propose:
1 – Turn my vegetable patch into a year-round produce garden. I know that is going to be tricky in the hot summer months in Miami, but it can be done.
2 – Plant more fruit trees. I already have a mango, avocado, papaya, key lime, and banana trees in the garden but know I can squeeze a few more.
3 – Build a chicken coop for fresh eggs. Our local county allows up to eight hens (no rooster, though).
4 – A couple of bee hives for the honey and for the benefits of having resident pollinators in the garden. I recently found out that my paternal grandfather kept bees as a hobby. Now I know where I am getting the urge!
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that items 3 and 4 have not been approved by the in-house zoning board (my wife)!
So, here goes! Let’s see if my resolution bears fruit (pun intended!).
Wishing everyone in the blogosphere a happy and healthy New Year and many wonderful things in 2012! May your flowers bloom and your plants bear fruit!
My idea is to produce some of the food that my family consumes and that way we’ll know exactly what it is we are eating. I want to make sure that “organic” is truly chemical-free and the only way I can be sure is to grow it myself. I also think that is wrong for us to insist on eating certain fruits year-round since this entails having to transport out-of-season produce by air from other countries and even other continents. All of us need to reduce our carbon footprint, since global warming is real and threatens the very existence of our fragile planet. I know that it’s impossible to produce all the food we consume but we have to start somewhere.
So, without further ado, this is what I propose:
1 – Turn my vegetable patch into a year-round produce garden. I know that is going to be tricky in the hot summer months in Miami, but it can be done.
2 – Plant more fruit trees. I already have a mango, avocado, papaya, key lime, and banana trees in the garden but know I can squeeze a few more.
3 – Build a chicken coop for fresh eggs. Our local county allows up to eight hens (no rooster, though).
4 – A couple of bee hives for the honey and for the benefits of having resident pollinators in the garden. I recently found out that my paternal grandfather kept bees as a hobby. Now I know where I am getting the urge!
In the interest of full disclosure, let me say that items 3 and 4 have not been approved by the in-house zoning board (my wife)!
So, here goes! Let’s see if my resolution bears fruit (pun intended!).
Wishing everyone in the blogosphere a happy and healthy New Year and many wonderful things in 2012! May your flowers bloom and your plants bear fruit!
