This is a blog I’ve been meaning to start for months but….well, you know how it goes. I just never seemed to find the time in the past. This blog combines two of my passions…writing and urban farming. I hope you’ll follow along and I also hope you’ll find something useful as we go along.
Credit is due to my wife, Bev. She is really the spearhead behind this blog. She has been lovingly prodding me to get this started. She even took the step of naming the blog, another not-too-subtle hint that I needed to get in gear.
What are we going to do here? We’ll going to talk about all things related to urban farming. Those of you who know me know my wife and I have one-eighth of an acre smack dab in the middle of Olympia, Washington. On that one-eighth of an acre we have a large vegetable garden, berries, fruit trees, grapes, chickens, quail, rabbits, goats and guinea pigs. We still have room for more and we have big plans, so you’ll be able to follow along as our dreams and plans come to fruition.
I believe in urban farming. I think it is a movement that is gaining momentum in this country and I think it will continue to grow. The state of the economy, for those of us in the bottom 99%, dictates that changes be made in our lifestyle. Growing our own organic food is a huge step in the right direction. Raising birds for fresh eggs is another. Sharing ideas with neighbors increases a sense of community, bringing people closer together. Managing an urban farm in a responsible manner helps the environment.
I could go on but I think you get the picture.
Let me give you an overview of what we’re doing, and then I’ll cover a specific topic with each new blog.
HOW IT ALL STARTED
It started with a small, 2’x3’ herb garden. That was four years ago. Next we added a 20’x40’ vegetable garden, then five chickens, then last year we began our quail enterprise. The rest were added as we found the time and funds to do so.
We began, believe it or not, with the belief that lawns are a complete waste of time and effort. We had a big yard and no desire to constantly mow it, so we decided to eliminate the lawn and put in something productive. The garden was our answer to Monsanto and other corporations that are slowly poisoning us through our food supply.
WE ARE NOT PERFECT
We make constant mistakes despite the tons of research we do before making any addition or change to our urban farm. In that way, our farm mirrors life. About the only thing that can be said about us is that we don’t quit. We keep trying something until it works for us, and I’ll share our mistakes along the way so you can learn from them.
So we’ll go from here. Thank you for joining us along this journey. I hope we post something that inspires you to give urban farming a try. Share your ideas in the comments. Ask questions as well. We will all learn together.
Bill
Congratulations on the new blog, Bill. I am so glad you finally found the time to get it going. I look forward to reading all of what you have in store for us.
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Thank you Deb. It ain’t fancy but at least it’s up and running. I appreciate you following along.
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Bill (and Bev),
I am thrilled that you started this blog. I mean grinning from ear to ear kind of excited.
We move into our new house this week. A worm farm and hot compost pile will be started by month’s end.
Your blog (love the name!) comes at the perfect time for me.
Congratulations!
Cristen
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Awww, thanks Cristen. I’m excited about your big move and that’s great that you are going to dive right in with a worm farm and compost pile. Getting ready for next year’s crops already…great planning on your part.
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I used to have an organic garden and a greenhouse, which a good friend and I built. I’m ready to pick up where I left off and then some. 🙂
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We’re installing a 10×20 foot greenhouse next spring. Very excited to get that built.
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Glad to see you finally got a blog going. I will enjoy it!
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Thanks Milisa. I’m glad you’re along for the ride.
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Oh, I love this! LOVE the picture! I am determined Dave and I will get to Olympia in the future to see it all! Congratulations! God bless, will stay tuned! Lea Tartanian 🙂
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Thank you Lea and I’m counting on you and Dave making it out here soon. Blessings always, my friend
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This sounds like it will be an interesting blog. Congrats!
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Thank you Lena! I hope to make it interesting.
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Going to love reading all of this and going through it with you. Mistakes….no mistake, just learning what works and what doesn’t. We have tried many things and found that some don’t work and some need even more work and more thinking. I love your yard! I love what you have done with the small space that you do have. It is wonderful. I would have all the animals too if we didn’t hgave a HOA.
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Thank you Debbie! Those darn HOAs will get you every time. Well, you can live vicariously through our adventures and it won’t cost you a penny to do so. 🙂
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Bill, you are living my dream. Congratulations on creating this blog. I look forward to reading about the good, the bad, the everything about urban farming. It’s all good.
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It’s all good for sure, Marlene. The worst day urban farming is better than the best day of living in an apartment. Thanks for stopping by.
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Wonderful idea, Congratulations and many blessings.
I will come back to read and comment as soon as I clear up my thoughts.
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Michael my friend, I just appreciate you stopping by. Blessings to you and yours.
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Hello Bil. Finally I made jot back to finish my comment to your extremely positive article many people would be encouraged with information of your small beginning. Just because you have believed in potential a small piece of land is offering a reward for willing to enjoy fruit of own hands. Steps you went through building up into real urban farm are helpful especially to those who never had opportunity seeing it early age how simple and pleasurable to have personally raised and grow healthy food.
I’ll be here as time allows. So long my friend, be blessed and successful.
( PS , as for ” clearing up my thoughts” I was reading something seemingly interesting, turn out to be of oppressive spirit, took me little longer to shook it off completely; a ”spiritual warfare “category.)
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Michael my friend, thank you for the very kind words. There is nothing like creating something from nothing with our own two hands and our desire. For those who have not experienced it, I feel sorrow. I am grateful for the ability I have been given and I don’t plan on wasting it.
blessings always
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The blog is looking good, Bill! Got to love the idea of following both passions! You would fit in around here, you know!
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Thanks Donna! I’d fit in just about anywhere where people are bonded with the environment and care about the land they live on.
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Great to be reading up on your urban farm Bill and Bev, enjoyed. My small garden is also urban but I get a lot of produce and joy out of it, and learning and adjusting all the time.
Look forward to reading more about your place.
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Thank you gaiainaction….hopefully I’ll share some things that can help you in the future.
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Great! 🙂
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Haha. I’m enjoying our first evening of internet at our new house. I should really go to bed seeing that I have to get up at 5:30 am and it’s nearly 11 pm here. But well.
Here I am. I saw that you had shared this and I wasn’t sure if it was you or someone else you knew who had written this. But then there’s the telltale style of your writing that’s unmistakable. Don’t you just love it when someone can say they recognize your style? Hehe. My suspicions were confirmed when I saw Bev’s name up there.
This should be a fun blog! Glad to follow along…urban farms. Hehe. I happen to think that unless there’s regular frisbee-playing to be had, grassy lawns are better suited to becoming gardens and such.
Now that we live in town (for the first time in 8 years! – and it’s a small town…don’t even have to lock the car door at night) we might actually have chickens and a bigger veggie garden! Ironic because living way away from town in the mountains like before, you’d think it would be the opposite, but no…we lived too far away from friends and family to have chickens or any other animals except our doggie. Even then, if we wanted a dog sitter, we’d have to drive one hour to the in-laws’ house to drop him off. And there was too much shade from the forest behind our old house to have a big garden. Now, we have more acreage of sun! Woohoo! Awesome things are gonna happen with this house! 😀
Have fun, Big Bro! See you on the interwebs!
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Lil Sis, thanks for staying up late to comment. I love your line about lawns and frisbee. True words. Is there a bigger waste of land and natural resources than lawns? I don’t think so.
I’m excited that you’ll be getting chickens. Any questions just ask me. We’ve made just about every mistake possible. LOL
Hugs, Lil Sis!
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So here you are! So glad to see this blog happening for you–I will follow your adventure along with some interest–my little urban plot is tiny in comparison!
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I’m glad you’re along for the ride, Audrey. Thank you so much for finding this.
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Hey y’all, pumped to see the couolest urban farmers in town finally starting in a blog. Will be happy to keep up with it.
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Well thank you Matt! I appreciate you stopping by.
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