Part of this journey to homesteading/self-sufficiency is learning and practicing new and current skills. Since we live in town on 1/4 acre, it can sometimes feel like we are limited in what we can do. According to our city ordinances, we can’t even have chickens!
However, there are a lot of things we can do. We can learn how be less wasteful and more appreciative of what we have. There are skills in the areas of woodworking, sewing, cooking, etc. that we can perfect. There is also the skill of learning how to find harmony in what we do so that our life flows with the ups and downs that come with it.
We can also have a garden. What we can’t garden ourselves, we can buy from local farmers at a CSA and Farmers Market. We can also go to pick ur own orchards and make it a fun family day! With these resources, we can learn how to can our own food and have the ability to put some of it up for winter.
I know there are people who can do a lot more in regards to gardening with 1/4 acre. You go online and look at these yards that are just covered in edible plants and bushes! We’re not quite there yet, and that’s okay.
Here is where we are as we garden on 1/4 acre:
Our first year in our home, we used these existing built in planters on the back porch for herbs. The second year we didn’t utilize them because my kids were constantly digging in this dirt. However, we did start planting in them again this year. It has become more of our experiment garden then anything – with onions in the smaller box, then potatoes and kale in the larger one.
That first year, we also built two raised beds, and planted strawberries and bush beans.
The following year we added a third raised bed for tomatoes, which is what we continued with this year. We also dug up a little space in front of the strawberry raised bed, and planted carrots (this year we switched to onions). The first planting did really well, but the ants got a hold of the second planting.
Finally, we got two barrel planters which is where we now have our herbs.
To extend our gardening endeavors this year we dug up a small space behind the second raised bed. We’ve already added kale, and I’ll be adding some bell pepper plants in the space soon.
We also added four blackberry plants in front of our front fence which is about 20 ft across, and put in two dwarf fruit trees in the front flower bed. The previous owner had put in a ton of red rock mulch which I find to be very frustrating to work with after the first year or two. All of that will be coming up and we’ll be planting grass. It’s harder to get out to the front right by the road with little kids.
That’s pretty much where we are right now in our gardening endeavors. Each year we re-evaluate and do what we can. I was a little bummed that we weren’t able to start our seeds this year, but that’s the season of life we’re in at the moment. As long as we keep learning and doing something, we’ll get to where we’re headed in our homesteading journey
Until next time!
♥ Nicole
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