Homesteading is a way of self sufficiency to produce what you will consume. Other aspects are making your own cleaners, recycling, composting, the zero waste concept, farm to table at home (no animals or meat in my case). You can dip a toe in the pond or go completely off the grid as they say. Gardening is a major component of homesteading. I am a fan of reducing my carbon footprint and gardening is one way to that. Also, I know exactly what kind of organic soil and fertilizer I’m using to keep our food pure. I’m going to be growing our food this year in containers instead of the ground. I think that will be easier for me especially at our condo.
Producing your own food is very rewarding. I started an herb garden in a container last spring and loved making pesto with my harvest of basil. I would make zucchini ribbon pasta or noodles with this fresh pesto and wished I could grow my own zucchini. Last year I would buy my zucchini at the farmers market, but this year I want to grow all of the vegetables that I like to make our keto vegan meals and snacks. I will try to reduce the amount I buy from the regular grocery store and eat fresh home grown whole foods as much as possible. I have even started grinding my own organic peanut butter at Whole Foods.
We have a condo in the city and a house at the lake about an hour away. I will try some veggies and herbs at each location. I bought 2 different self watering type systems so I can get away with only watering once a week since we split out time at each house. Once I know which works better I can branch out and do more veggies later! I’m experimenting with how many plants of each to do. The idea is to have enough to eat and freeze for the winter eventually. We’ll see what needs to be added or taken away next year when I see how this year goes.
Getting Started with container gardening
I bought these Burpee Organic starter kits to try some from seeds along with organic seeds and soil! I’ve planted green beans, zucchini squash, tomato, basil and spinach in one and a bunch of others including cauliflower, broccoli, cucumber, italian red of Florence onion, okra, sweet peppers, white beets, kale, box choy and some flowers. I’m hoping I’ll grow enough flowers to keep a vase of the cuttings each week.
Tips
- Start in the sunny location you plan to leave the starter kit. I put a small table in front of a sunny window in the breakfast nook.
- Flip all of the dirt pellet/pods so they are flat before adding water.
- Use a watering can with warm water to fill the starter kit and pour over pellets.
- Keep a gardening journal for what seeds worked best, what veggies you need more or less of next year, etc.
I also bought some organic baby plants, seedlings, from a garden expo and farmers market. I’ve been told not to plant until April 15 so there is no real chance of frost which would likely kill them. I will plant these in raised beds. I’ve already planted most of them in containers. I got the Keter Urban Raised Bed for the deck at the lake house. I will try the City Picker’s smaller self watering container on our balcony at the penthouse and some at the lake house too. I like that they are on wheels in case I need to move them for any reason. Since I started the first seeds on April 5th I won’t plant until May 5th since they are supposed to start inside for 4 weeks.
Try this keto vegan side dish!
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