A seed a day (Week 4)

On my fourth week most of my my seedlings are looking pretty healthy.  One or two are/were looking a little limp because of over watering.  Plants in my opinion are a little skinny and tall looking for light.  With where we live the time of year and trying to grow inside a home light may not enough to quickly produce vegetables.  I have been thinking about my options and since I am getting close to  a whole flat of seedling I may add a regular shop light.  I have a hard time paying for power for light to grow but it may be worth it to get the plants up and going allot quicker. The choice will be made early this week and I will let you know what I come up with.

Totals
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
3- Iceberg Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
1- Cabbage Planted 11/9/13
1- Broccoli Planted 11/9/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/9/13
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/9/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/16/13
2- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/16/13
2- Broccoli Planted 11/16/13
2- Swiss Chard Planted 11/16/13
1- Lemon Mint Planted 11/16/13
1- Basil Planted 11/16/13
1- Cilantro Planted 11/16/13
1- Thyme Planted 11/16/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/24/13
2- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/24/13
4- Celery Planted 11/24/13

Introduction to my Homestead

So in the process of my family going self reliant I want people to be able to see our progress.  You can see our small city lot, house, garage, and play set,  Currently we only grow in 6 small raised beds and can produce more tomatoes and cucumbers then my family could ever dream of using.  How do you turn those 6 small beds into revalving crops and all the produce you could ever need? Well next year hopefully I will have my property turned into a self reliant homestead!  From the photos below you can see we are not dealing with allot of land but the biggest fear I have is the amount of shade I have not the amount of property.  I have had no problem growing on the north west side of home but we will see if this grows into a issue as my gardens grow.  I am currently working on the plans and locations of raised beds, a small green house, fences and such so we can maximize our use of space.  I hope you are as excited as I am to see the progress!

A seed a day (Week 3)

Sprouting Plants

It is now week three of my seed a day project.  Things are growing well but I still probably have a couple weeks before anything can go into the ground or even a first harvest.  Same as last week any thing in the last weeks plantings that had not sprouted yet I replanted.  This week I planted 8 Regular crops and for the first week I planted 4 spice and herb plants.  I figure if I plan on trying to live off of what I can grow only I will need spices and herbs to help with cooking.

All Plants To Date

Herbs And Spice Seeds

Totals
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
3- Iceberg Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
1- Cabbage Planted 11/9/13
1- Broccoli Planted 11/9/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/9/13
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/9/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/16/13
2- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/16/13
2- Broccoli Planted 11/16/13
2- Swiss Chard Planted 11/16/13
1- Lemon Mint Planted 11/16/13
1- Basil Planted 11/16/13
1- Cilantro Planted 11/16/13
1- Thyme Planted 11/16/13

Urban Prepping and Self-Reliance

So why do I chose to have my homestead, self-reliance complex, prepping head quarters in a urban environment?  The reason I do is because I have no other option at this time.  I would love to have a 1,000 acre farm that I could hunt, fish, and farm on but at this point in my life it just is not feasible.  So I have decided if I can make this happen on my small city lot when its time for me to upgrade to a large property it should be easy to adapt.  Having two kids and a wife who works near by makes it hard to up root my family for both personal and financial reasons.  Most areas like Pittsburgh property values close by the city have risen to a point where a sizable piece of property is un affordable to the normal person.  I will continue to search for that hidden gem near by in our school district but I do not see it popping up any time soon.  So in the mean time while I am waiting to retire far far away or I find that hidden farm someone wants to give away, I will be figure out how to bring all my needs into my neighbor hood.

A seed a day (Week 2)

Last Weeks Seedlings

Its time again to plant this weeks rotation of seeds. So far 3 of my Romaine lettuce seed sprouted and 2 of my Iceberg lettuce seeds sprouted.  The un sprouted seeds may sprout but at this point I re planted these and if needed thin out the extra plants.  This week I added a broccoli and cabbage plant to have some variety. Hopefully in the matter of months I will have enough fresh lettuce and other vegetables to meet my families needs.

Collection After 2 Weeks

Totals
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
3- Iceberg Lettuce Planted 11/2/13
1- Cabbage Planted 11/9/13
1- Broccoli Planted 11/9/13
2- Iceberg lettuce Planted 11/9/13
4- Romaine Lettuce Planted 11/9/13

Labels With Names and Dates

Row cover can become kites

Unfortunately today one of my row covers became a kite and blew of the bed.  If the row covers can not make it a week I do not believe they will be lasting years to come.  The point on building these and testing them is to find a way we can do this every year and be able to re use frame and cover for as many years possible.  I have a plan for row covers that I think may be better that I will be trying this weekend.  I am still looking for the perfect way to secure plastic and be able to open them and get our harvest. You can not learn if you do not try!

Digging AX a must have tool

 A must have in your garden shed is a digging ax.  These are commonly used by fire fighters and landscapers.  With a traditional ax on one end and a mattock on the other this makes the perfect tool for removing small stumps and digging holes and trenches in soil with allot of roots.  Today I used mine to remove the roots of a large lilac bush.  Time to make room for a large green house!

Mason Jars

 The good old mason jar!  I found canning about 3 years ago now and every day I find new things that can be canned and new uses for mason jars.  My personal preference is Ball brand jars because they are USA made and after 3 years of use I have never had a jar fail.  I can not imagine it is worth saving the few bucks to get the Chinese knock offs.  I started off canning simple jams and apple sauce things you can water bath can.  Last year we canned our first batch of meat requiring pressure canning and recently ate it just under a year later and it was tasty.  I prefer canning over freezing because it does not require electricity for storage, and you do not have to worry about freezer burn.  Other then actual canning you can use ball jars for freezing.  I have been switching over slowly to storing our left overs and freezing thing such as soups in mason jars.  The fact that mason jars all share the same lid(2 sizes reg and wide mouth) makes it easy to keep organized.  Although you can not use lids more then once for canning purposes I do reuse them for left overs and for freezing.  Mason jars are also great for storing dry goods.  I store allot of dry goods and dehydrated foods in mason jars.  If you have a food saver they sell an attachment to put the jars in a vacuum and this can increase shelf life by a ton.  So many uses for the great mason jar do not be afraid to jump in and try canning.

Covering plants and planting celery

 So I have been putting it off but with temps going into the 20's tonight I figured no more dragging my feet I better at least get what I have planted covered.  Right now I have two of my beds almost full with extras I was not able to take up and get planted at my aunts land where I have a large garden.  In the two raised beds I have planted right now I have spinach, arugula, cabbage, fennel, celery, and some miscellaneous onions.  After building Fridays hoop I decided I needed to add cross supports to every hoop.  These supports make the whole structure that much more rigid and stops the frame work from bowing due to the tension of the hoops.  These cross supports only add approximately $4 to each 4x12 foot cover.  For tonight I just draped the thick clear plastic over the hoops and tucked it in until I decide how I want to fasten it.  I hope to come up with a good idea to have easy access to my winter harvest.

A seed a day (Week 1)

So a while back in all my crazy thinking I wondered if I planted a seed a day would that be enough food to support my family?  With wanting to have a constant food source this will insure something is always ready to harvest.  Well today is the day we will start and see what will happen and how much we can grow. Tonight I planted 4 Parris Island Romaine lettuce seeds and 3 Iceberg lettuce seeds.  I planted these seeds in a store bought organic seed starting mix that I am not 100% happy with because it has large organic pieces in it.  After planting the seeds I placed them near a window where they will get plenty of light and hopefully be ready to go in my new covered beds in a couple weeks.  I will continue planting approximately 7 seeds a week and will track my harvests.

Homemade pierogies

Something I have been wanting to try for a long time is making homemade pierogies.  We have always loved Mrs T's and living in Pittsburgh have a ton of local pierogie shops but there is something about making your own food.  The recipe I found is fairly easy and since this is 100% homemade we can make sure our family is not taking in any funny preservatives.  I have to give credit where credit is due this is not some long time family recipe it is a recipe I found on the internet right from King Arthur Flour and it worked out well!  Following the recipe exactly we ended up with beautiful delicious homemade pierogies.  I look forward in the future to use this as a base recipe and try some new interesting fillings!  Below is the recipe with any notes and special things I did. This is the direct link to the King Arthur Flour Recipe  http://www.kingarthurflour.com/recipes/homemade-pierogi-recipe

Recipe will make roughly 24 small pierogies

Dough

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 large egg
• 1/2 cup sour cream
• 1/4 cup butter, room temperature

Filling

• 1 cup warm mashed potato
• 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

To finish

• 1/4 cup butter
• 2 large shallots, diced; OR one medium onion, thinly sliced

Directions Dough

Mix together the flour and salt. Add the egg to the flour and combine. The dough will be quite clumpy at this stage.

Mix in the sour cream and soft butter until the dough comes together in a slightly rough, slightly sticky ball.

Using just your fingertips, knead and fold the dough until the dough becomes less sticky but still quite moist.

Wrap the dough well in plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 to 60 minutes, or up to 48 hours.

Directions Filling Cut and boil 2-3 small potatoes  Mash potatoes with hand held masher Mix in cheese while hot Seasonings with salt and pepper to taste

Forming and filling  Roll dough 1/8" thick. Use a 2" round cutter to cut circles of dough(I used a drinking glass).

Place 2 teaspoons of filling on each round of dough. Gently fold the dough over, forming a pocket around the filling. Pinch the edges of the pierogi to seal, then seal again with the tines of a fork.

Final Cooking In a large stockpot of boiling salted water. Only cook about 10 pierogi at a time, so that they have room to float without sticking. When the pierogi float after about 10 minutes, they're done.

Sauté the shallots or onion in the butter in a large skillet until the onion begins to brown. Add the drained pierogi and cook until browned and crisped. Serve hot with additional sour cream, applesauce, or other condiments.

PVC to Row cover Garden through the winter

Finished Frame Work

Wanting to grow all year round in a zone 6 requires some creative solutions.  I decided this year we would build some row covers for our raised beds in our yard.  This will not allow me to grow the tomatoes and cucumbers I wish I could grow year round but will hopefully provide me with enough carrots, lettuce, spinach and such to have fresh garden salads all winter.

Must have ratcheting Cutters

I went down to the local big box home improvement store and picked up a ton of 1/2"x10' pieces of PVC along with this I got some bulk packs of 90s and Ts.  This is a affordable project because PVC is inexpensive at under $2 per piece you can build a sizable structure for not that much money.  I am guessing the 4'x12' bed in my picture has about $25 in materials to build the frame at under 10 pieces of PVC and 16 fittings.

Pile of Parts

I had a mental vision of what I would be building so I drew up a little sketch and decided to cover my 4'x12' beds. I would build a frame around the perimeter and just hoop full pipes over the beds. I believe 3 foot spacing on the hoops should be enough as long as I help with removal of snow.  I cut my pipe with a ratcheting PVC cutter and it is worth every penny so much quicker then a hack saw. I chose to glue my joints although many people say just push them together I did not want it coming apart while I bumped it.  I am guessing these will stay in place year round and possibly be used as a trellis in the summer time.  I was not pleased with the excess bowing in the middle so I added just a single cross support to help relieve the tension. I will be working on the other beds this weekend and adding the plastic covering.  I may possibly trying out some other designs for the other beds.

Bow in pipe before adding support

Added support