Are you an urban farmer, gardener, food putter-upper or someone who is striving to be more sustainable in a city or suburban environment? Then I’m looking for YOU!
I started this blog as a way to challenge myself to stick to my guns – because I was fed up with food companies and the larger industrial agricultural system.
Yes, it’s challenging to grow what you can. Yes, it’s challenging to can, freeze, lacto-ferment or dry what you can. Yes, it’s challenging to find local sources for real food that fit in your budget when you live in the city with it’s inflated food and property prices. And yes, it’s challenging to do all these things with kids. The real challenge for me is to do it while living in the city with all that entails.
I try to fit it in between driving to T-ball, meeting the school bus, soccer practice and all my “city” errands. I work full time from home so I try to squeeze things in between phone calls, emails and necessary hugs for small beings that need a lot of lap time and haven’t yet started school.
I try to fit the vegetable garden in between the end of the sidewalk and the beginning of my house, on a small portion of my 1/4 acre city lot. I try to make the garden look pleasing so that the neighbors won’t remind me that I’m breaking neighborhood ordinances against farming and having chickens. I’m not sure what they’ll think about the meat rabbits and broiler chickens I want to tractor in the backyard, the tilapia I want to raise in my garage or the honey bees I need to fit between the sandbox and my next door neighbor’s in ground swimming pool (yes, in Seattle I bought the house next to the only one.)
I try to fit the orchard in between that narrow swath of property between our two city houses, the minimum necessary easement size required by law.
I try to fit this blog into my already crazy life because if I let it slip then I know I will slip.
So many of you are struggling, and succeeding in making this fit into your lives too. I know you are doing it because I read your comments and visit your blogs. I’m impressed beyond belief that we are so many doing so much, all on our own.
You are all so inspirational that I would love to start a new weekly blog segment with guest posts. I would love to have YOU tell your story and show your pictures. I would love to hear about your successes and your failures so that we might all learn together.
Momentum only continues as long as there is forward movement. Frequently that means people getting in the back of the line and pushing the ones already in line forward. I’d love you to help keep pushing us forward by joining and sharing your energy and enthusiasm, your skills and experience.
If you are interested in writing a guest post and sharing your story please email me or leave a comment and I’ll contact you! I’m hoping there are enough of you that we can keep this going week after week.
Yes, I know there are so many online communities out there already. But this challenge of doing what we can in the city, some of us living in apartments with balconies, while others might have barely enough land for a goat is what excites me and unites us.
Sure, I’d love to be a hobby farmer with acreage. But that isn’t going to happen anytime soon. Let’s do what we can given our existing lives and circumstances and all learn together.
Momentum, momentum, momentum!
Well, I am “someone who is striving to be more sustainable” in a semi-rural environment/bedroom community. But I don’t know if I really qualify because I’m mostly learning from you and I live five thousand miles away. However, if you think I can help, then you can count on me.
I’d love to guest post, but I don’t grow much myself. DH grows hops in the only sunny spot in our yard LOL> But I am definitely trying to be more sustainable, and have scoured my area for finding people who do have the time and expertise to resource my food. I’m a member of three CSAs, for example.
Well, I’m in the suburbs with a very small amount of land, and I’m trying to do all I can given these constraints. I’m lucky to have many local farms less than 1/2 an hour away from me, and I preserve all that I can from my summer pickings. I’m also a member of an organic CSA in my area… My gardening efforts are small and I’m just learning about what I can do in my “zone”/space but I’m giving it a go. So far I’ve been eating nearly entirely local (winter stashes and summer/fall fresh), but the growing is what I’d like to learn more about and put into practice.
So, yes, I’d love to do a guest post(s) as part of your new idea!
I’m gardening on a suburban, duplex lot. Luckily, I have great neighbors with similar mindsets. I have the front yard orchard and continuously growing garden in my side yard. Ideally, I would like to grow almost all of our fruits and veggies in my little yard. We’ll see if that’s possible.
Hey, my little jungle is on a >1/4 acre lot within city limits, too. I created garden beds to fit the space as best I could — like wedges, the points of which meet at the multiple compost piles behind! In my first garden at this house, I put in *25* tomato plants that I had sown myself in a basement setup. That’s a lotta ‘maters!
I also work from home. My small beings have always been four-legged, which need less attention than the two-legged human species.
These days I’m having a hard time keeping up with my own blog because I’ve been blogging for Slow Food Seacoast (haven’t found my balance yet!), but I’m here to support you in your endeavors. You’re already doing so much good stuff! Each small step is a tremendous boon to you and your family — not to mention the environment and every person whose life you touch through the posts you share here . One crop at a time!
I’d love to be a part of this! I’m not as far along as you yet, but I plan to add fruit trees to the front yard along with a huge veggie garden. I have perrenial herbs and berries going that will hopefully produce tons for me this year and one lonely hen who will be joined by three chicks in March. Maybe I can post a little later after some of the veterans have a routine going for you?
I think this is a great idea! I do not have much to offer to a guest post, but am excited to be introduced to new people and ideas. I definitely think you’re right about pushing each other forward! It is challenging, but hearing stories of others on this journey keeps me motivated. I thank you so much for your blog and for your continued pushing of me!
OMG I’m so excited to see this response! Auburn, you replied first but do you want to wait and post when you start your garden since you are behind us growing wise? Or you could do a post on how you’ve changed what you eat, simply by changing your buying habits? Let me know, I’ll take you all in order of reply. I’m so excited! When can you start? ;p
Wow Wendy – 3 CSAs? Now THAT’s commitment!
MangoChild – that is perfect, I think it’s more inspiring for folks to see someone with challenges begin at the beginning. I loved reading Barbara Kingsolver but when I put it down I felt like I could never grow enough food for us since we have such a small space so I vowed just to buy what I could locally and put it up. Then a month later I realized I could take baby steps and remove the lawn. The more I thought about it I realized I could add more and more edibles. The biggest step I took was simply vowing to buy from local farmers. Then everything else just fell into place.
The Mom – perfect! The continuous challenge is fun, isn’t it? I can’t wait to see what you come up with!
SGFB – the wedges are brilliant and a great use of space. If you decide you have time or have a good post on your site you could always write up a quick intro or summary and we could “jump” to your blog for more details.
Angela – That sounds just like me last year except you have some more background so you’ll hit the ground running. I’d love you to do a post when you are ready!
oh and I forgot the most important part of my comment…BEAUTIFUL GARDEN!!! I would never complain if I was your neighbor!
I come from very productive self-sufficient people. Putting up most of the food you need was what happened when I was growing up. Every summer, my mother and grandmother took us out to u-pick what ever was in season in the mornings and canned in the afternoons. I spent many a summer afternoon belly up to the sink peeling things. To this day, I can peel an apple with a paring knife faster than any one I know. But along way, I let it slide, took the easier path. Only in the last couple years have I recommitting to relearn and start again.
I think this is a stellar idea! It will be fun to read all the guest blog posts. I would just end up repeating my blog entries from my own site – so I will stay out of the posting mix but will look forward to reading and commenting on the other’s who participate.
As you know, we strive to meet all our vegetable and a large portion of our fruit requirements. While I am interested in all things sustainable and self sufficient, I am realistically not pushing into new things much more than expanding our fruit production slowly but surely. I just do not have the capacity to add anything more into my daily life and want to keep it manageable.
Great idea! I find your blog very inspirational and hearing from even more like-minded people would be great!
My resolutions this year included #1 Eat less processed foods, #2 Eat more locally produced foods, #3 Get the most from my small garden. I’m doing well with my goals and the goals are helping me to stay focused. My ultimate goal is to move my family to a farm where we can live our dream … but until then I’ll continue to do what I can with what I have.
Sara – you live in an apartment, don’t you? In my mind that is a double dinger (triple points for small kids, single parent, tight income.) I would LOVE to hear about any steps you have been able to take!
LeAnn, I am fascinated with how people have gradually come to accept this modern food system. My grandparents raised and put up all their own food and my mother went the complete opposite way so I never learned anything and grew up on microwaved food. Granted, the ingredients in a 1970′s microwave product are nowhere near as evil as what is in a microwaved (or shelf) product today but still it fascinates me. I think part of it might be the ease, not just in preparation but in planning. When you have a box of mac n cheese in the cupboard you can see it and grab it. If you have milk, cheese & butter in the fridge and a bag of noodles in the cupboard somehow you don’t have that suggestive visual when you are hungry. But I’d love to hear more about how you gradually traded your food inputs and steps you are taking to trade them back.
KFG – you as always inspire me. I’d love you to do just a quick blurb which we can then jump to an article you feel is appropriate on your blog. You have so many!
Becky – you may find that you can do more in the city than you think and won’t need to move to a farm. It’s amazing to me how my neighbors have rallied, come by to chat gardens even when they don’t have any or have come out as closet p-patchers. Or so many have said their moms gardened when they were kids and they really loved that kind of childhood. I think the most inspirational thing you can do is stay in the city and make it as visible as possible that you have opted out. It just doesn’t get any more visible than gardening your lawn. Last summer my neighbors had to step over the watermelons & pumpkins growing into the sidewalk and they LOVED it (or so they said.) When we brought 6 dishes including fresh cut watermelon to the neighborhood picnic everyone wanted to talk about how they could plant more things this upcoming year.
OK so who’s first?
I know I said I would take you in order but haven’t heard back yet so anyone ready to write go ahead and get started and then email me annettecottrell(at)yahoo.com. Let’s get some guest spots up!
Annette, I could write about things like:
1. What I’ve learned about buying different kinds of freezer meat. What to expect, dos and don’ts, how to tell if you are buying from a middle man, how to get the most of the hanging weight, etc.
2. How I’m trying to make sustainability work for just the two of us in an area with a short growing season.
3. Later on I could blog about my garden (if I manage to get it going).
I used to blog (had two blogs: gourmet cooking from scratch and a city daily photo blog) but it became addictive to the point that I was dedicating all my spare time to blogging so I had to stop, cold turkey. Took the blogs off line and started to live my life again, though I still spend too much time online.
So, guest posting for you every now and then would be fun.
I could have a post for next Friday, if you want it. Let me know.
Auburn – perfect! You don’t need to wait until Fri, just email me when you are ready and we’ll get ‘er up! I know what you mean about blogging getting addictive…it’s just so fun when everyone else gets into it like this.
I don’t think I can get it done before Friday, though. I’ll let you know.
Auburn – no rush. Just send it to me when you find the time. Have fun with it!
This will be such a fun thing. I hope I can join up when we have a bit more to show!
Hi there, well this is a fine idea, I am getting into writing guest posts for other blogs – I love it.
I am a locavore and prepare all my own food from scratch. When we lived in the UK we lived off a large allotment for 3 years, but now in France we have not stayed in one place long enough to grow anything yet, but come spring we have a small lawn to dig up!! Until then, I am an ‘indoor harvester’ sprouting and milling my own bread, fermenting and stock making with local products – we are in the mountains so have cows outside our door in Spring and Autumn and eat raw dairy all year round (we are two hours away from the originally Swiss valley Weston Price visited in 1931)
Hope I can help, you seem to have many fine contributors already, so in summer when my lawn is dug up……I can start writing if you still need me!!
Don’t forget me now!!
Louisa x
Myrnie – I think no matter where you are in your journey there will be readers who will relate best to you because they are in the same position. But whenever you are ready.
Louisa – Wow! You live in a chalet in the alps? That just rocked my world. I took my college money and traveled Europe with it instead and loved the sensation of being up there. It’s amazing – the feeling of open ness and smallness and being that close the heavens away from trappings. I’d love to see a picture into your world! I just subscribed to the posts and look forward to a little dose of it.
this is very exciting! i love to hear about others involved in the same type of craziness. (thanks sara for the heads up!)
i am a working mom, from urban san diego, with a 1/4 acre lot. over the past couple years my husband, 12 y/o daughter & i have turned our massive lawn into a huge veggie garden. we fenced off about 1000 sq feet are and built 10 – 10×4 boxes. we’ve had a year of successful growing. there were some mistakes and the dogs (3 big ones) got in the summer garden as often as they could to snipe tomatoes.
my daughter, 12 now, has been working at the local farmers market for an organic farmer. she sells produce and talks to people about buying CSA’s – she SELLS them too! we love ours and she, since she’s too young to get paid, gets a lot of extra veg for her time.
my husband is keeping a small bee hive and intends to get a full hive this spring. it’s been really interesting to have them in the garden. they are fascinating to watch and have never been a problem. it’s been an educational experience for not only the family but our friends and neighbors.
last year we decided, because we were experiencing a multi-year drought, to set up a rainwater recovery system. i designed the system with a bunch of odds and ends i found at home depot. it’s not pretty but our 880 gallon tanks have filled up twice already this year!
a few months ago i decided chickens would be a great addition to our little garden. they have been so much fun. i allowed them to wander the whole garden at first – in the fall when summer crops were winding down – but have had to isolate them to a smaller section. come to find out they love sprouts. any kind of sprout! my fall garden was eaten by my girls. they are entertaining and have amazing personalities. there were some interesting interactions between the cats and the hens when they were smaller but now they just chase each other around for fun.
we’ve recently removed 8 trees and replaced them with fruit. we plan on removing another area of landscaping and planting 3 more fruit trees. they, along with 4 others, will be watered with our grey water from our kitchen sink and washer. our challenges are going to be keeping the dogs away from the fruit…and learning to can this summer to use the fruit from the 13 fruit trees!
today we’re (i use we loosely) are building a green house. it’s going up slowly but will be really fabulous to be able to start & grow things year-round. we plan on trying to grow padrone peppers ‘commercially’ and sell them at the farmers market & to friends with restaurants. we’ll see how that goes. we’ll gladly eat any excess so there doesn’t seem to be a downside.
well, that’s my life. not sure i have any expertise but i’ve made enough mistakes i may have learned some lessons i can pass on!
Janella – that would be great if you want to share. The honey bees, grey water system and greenhouse are things I would be fascinated to learn more about. And I love that you are planning to sell excess peppers! That’s inspirational.
I’d love to do one for the coming weeks – don’t have your email though…. not sure how to do that – I know you might not want it out here for everyone to see…. how can we work this logistically?
Annette, last night I emailed you something, did you get it? If not, look in you spam folder.
Auburn – got it. I’m hoping to get it up tonight if I can meet my other deadline early enough.
Mangochild – great! Start writing and email it to annettecottrell(at)yahoo.com. I’m so excited to start posting these!
Your blog has been very inspirational and I look forward to the added knowledge (and possible additional blogs to follow) of these guest posts. I had already been researching nutrition and sustainable living, but seeing how much you’ve done in such a short time on your 1/4 acre really convinced me to try my hand at more. We have just over 2 acres and will be trying our first ever garden/orchard this year. Neither of us are green thumbs, so our fall back plan will be the farmers’ markets or another csa like last year.
Let me know which breed of honey bee you decide on. I’ve been reading up on which are more docile and more hardy, but we’re not quite ready for that yet so instead we’ll be starting with mason bees. They have no honey to guard, and so are less defensive, and will still do a fine job pollinating.
As for your meat rabbit tractor idea, I just want to warn you that they are quite the escape artists. We tried meat rabbits last summer with the same intention of free-ranging them, but found that it would be next to impossible without a maximum security style pen. We ended up giving them back to the farmer we got them from before they’d even grown up, rather than feed them a non-natural diet in a cage. I would love to try again someday once I’ve given more thought to safe, sustainable methods of doing so.
Meanwhile, we’ve got two sheep who are breaking me into the ruminant side of nutrition in the hopes that I’ll be able to have dairy goats someday. (You would not believe the amount of raw milk we go through each week!) We’re also still trying to raise laying poultry, despite predation and other set backs. Our chickens contracted either bird flu from wild migratory birds, or swine flu from me (the timing made it hard to be sure, and that’s just a guess based on my research of their symptoms), and had to be nursed back to health in a dog crate in our bathroom for several days (they recovered). Guess I’m learning in a trial by fire sort of way. Good grief!
Gotta start somewhere though, and it has been fun and educational trying to live more sustainably. Keep up the great writing!
Looks like you have a ton of responses and I am still going to offer a guest post if you want. Let me know.
Kelly Orehovc
Ok – who’s next? Wendy? Mangochild? Or anyone – just start writing and email me annettecottrell(at)yahoo.com. I’m ready for more!
Annette,
This is wonderful!! I would love to guest post if you have any spots open. I’m also an urban homesteader including backyard chickens, organic gardener, and canner
I have been meaning to get back in touch with you about beans. I plant my fall beans the beginning of August and they only go until the first frost sometimes as early as October 
These beans are only for eating fresh or freezing. You are definitely inspiring to me as I’ve been wanting to start growing year round. I’m hoping this year that I can get a cold frame built to see if I can keep chard, spinach, other greens and root vegetables going. I’m definitely open to any and all of your suggestions!! Love your site Annette!!!
Diana
Diana, I’d LOVE you to post. I don’t see how you have time with all your activities online though.
But yes, please write something. The stuff I started beginning of Aug is just now ready to eat but we don’t get the sun hours you do. What zone are you in? There is a great book called Four Season Gardening by Eliot Cole that really inspired me to try this. I never would have though of it on my own!
It looks like you got a ton of responses – that’s great! I, of course, am horribly behind.
But I would love to write a guest post for you if you are still looking for more, particularly since I’m bound for a new house in a few weeks. With a pear tree. And apples, and figs, and plums and a garden I actually get to keep! Let me know
Jess, I’d love that! A lot of folks expressed interest but I don’t have another guest post so feel free to get started. Or anyone else, just write something and email it to me.
Pingback: That Teaser Febraury Sun « I am what I eat
Have loved reading along through the Dark Days Challenge and am happy to help with a post if you ever need one. I am involving other families in my sustainable eating with the Dirt to Dinner program. I’m on a corner lot in the middle of Silicon Valley and so far the neighbors have been very supportive.
Julianne, I’d love that! Just write something and email it to annettecottrell(at)yahoo.com along with any pictures.