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!
6 comments:
Sounds like a great resolution. I look forward to following along. Best wishes for the new year to you and your family!
I will follow along with your progress, great new year resolution! I don't have much luck with my countable vegetable planting attempts. The worst is I don't know how to deal with bugs and pests. So I am giving up veggie planting for now and concentrate on my flower garden, although I do have some papaya trees that are bearing lots of sweet fruits for my family and our friends.
Happy New Year to you and your family!
Happy New Year, Rusty! Your resolution is an admirable one. I garden in a very small place, too. With roses I have 'gone vertical'. Perhaps you can find a growing system that allows you to grow your veggies UP rather than OUT, giving you more room. I don't grow veggies, but I have heard and read that summer is the off-season here for them, but I hope you find a way to accomplish it. The chicken coop is a dream of mine but probably never doable, because the city doesn't allow it. I hope your in-house zoning board approves. She'll love fresh eggs.
Hi There. You really don't need bee hives to attract bees. My back yard in South Miami is for for butterflies and hummers with lots of host and larva plants. And tons of bees. They are friendly and I have never been stung by any of them.
How pleasant and further interesting garden shared on the site since there are lovely and beautiful flower shared we can be visiting and take pleasure in it in this flower.
Amazing resolutions...
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