SeaHeart

I planted all of my seedlings on Saturday~ The lettuce is already sprouting! There is such an amazing feeling when something you've planted comes up, you can see the tiny shoots, and your heart grows ten sizes too big~ I keep watering all of the others, whispering love to them. I ended up starting the acorn and butternut squash, the lettuce, the moon and star watermelon and the sugar baby watermelon, my lavender, rosemary and thyme (I have bad luck with herbs unless I start them indoors...I've been trying to keep my herb garden afloat since we moved into this house, and without transplants, it just doesn't happen--though I didn't start the chamomile or catnip...I'm leaving those up to chance :)), the zucchini, cucumbers and tomatoes...I think I'm not forgetting anything. I have so many happy little trays, sitting on wax paper, waiting and growing~ <333 We have to plant very late around here because we're in such a cold zone--towards the end of May. That leaves the corn, green beans, peas, other lettuce and carrots and a few other herbs to go straight into the ground. I always worry about the corn--it's supposed to be knee-high by the fourth of July (or you can kiss it goodbye XD), but it always ends up giving the amount it should. That's faith, that is~

Yesterday, I planted a few new crocuses and tulips in our front bed. They were on clearance at the Depot of Home, so I got them for a song, all wilty, but they'll be right as rain soon--I have plans to have the front area covered in crocuses someday~

...You know what? There is really no reason that I should love gardening this much. Growing up, me and my sister had to work from sun up to sun down in our one acre vegetable garden and our two acre potato garden. Not to mention the orchard or the grapevines or the strawberry bushes and blueberry bushes...we worked constantly for the farm, and--at the time--I liked it, but there were times where I was frustrated with it. We didn't have time to play during the summer months very much, we worked constantly, getting the harvest ready. But, now, I still love gardening. I didn't know it then, but I was performing my first spells, breathing on the seeds, wishing them growth and life as I plunked them into the soil. When I went out to gather the watermelon or pumpkins, the squash or green beans, it was THE most magical thing in the world to pick up the vegetables I'd grown with my own two small hands. It was jubilant, and amazing. And, yes, magic~

These past two growing seasons at our house, I've not lived up to the knowledge I have, or the tenacity I possess. This year, it's going to be different!

I want us to be a self sustaining farm (when I told this to my sister, she said: so you're going to grow dog-food trees? I admit, I loled~). We have one point eight acres...nothing to sneeze at (inner city farms produce hundreds and hundreds of pounds of produce on percentages of acres). Just because I'm used to dealing with bigger doesn't mean I can't make A LOT out of what I've been given. It's time to become just a wee bit more resourceful~

I don't know how many years we're going to end up staying at Care-A-Lot Cottage (what we named our house when we first moved in), but until we leave, we're turning it into Care-A-Lot Farms~ <3

My year plan:
Large vegetable garden
Small herb garden (turning what I have [which is very sad] into something bigger)
Orchard (three apple trees, one pear tree, one cherry tree, one peach tree)
Berry patch (thornless blackberries, blueberries)
Strawberry Patch (I need to make a raised bed)
Build out the flower beds (which, I realize, has nothing to do with a farm, but still XD)

I've done a little research in our area, because I couldn't find blueberry bushes to save my life (all of my mother's have died over time, sadly, and she never replaced them), but I finally found a Mennonite family business that sells them. I'd rather not buy them online if I can help it, though I will go the online route for the Strawberries (my cousin has had incredible luck with them from Gurney's), and slips of trees, depending on how much the Mennonite family charges for them.

It takes about three full years before you start seeing any yield from fruit trees, and I don't know if we'll be here that long. But, if we're not, we'll have something nice to leave the family who buys our place. :) <3

I have no idea if this is of any interest to anyone but myself...but I'll be posting about this from time to time as the spring progresses and summer comes. In this day and age, to be able to give yourself the gift of food is pretty cool, if you ask me~ :) I paid about a dollar a packet for organic seeds. If close to all of my seedlings come up, and if close to all of the seeds I plant in the ground come up, my yield will be extraordinary, and I will be feeding myself and Jenn (and probably a lot of friends XD) for pennies.

Mother Earth provides in the most beautiful, amazing ways. I am endlessly and completely grateful for that. <3333


photo by pendore