Update on my Urban "Farm"

Several weeks ago I wrote an article on making little seed starter pots out of toilet paper rolls. I made a bunch of them and put them under the lights down in my basement. I sprouted a variety of seedlings using this method and will mark it down as a success!

Here's an update. The containers in the front and to the right are bell and Anaheim peppers still in their starter pots. The container in the back is arugula, which I planted in one of those clamshell containers that lettuce comes in from the grocery store. I just filled it with potting soil and sowed the arugula seeds directly in the container. The arugula will stay in the basement because it is too hot here for it to grow outside.



Here's some broccoli, which I just transplanted to 4" pots. The broccoli will also stay inside where it is cool. I have a whole bunch of these, which I'll transplant again when they are a little bigger.



Finally, here are my tomato plants. They have also been transplanted from their toilet paper roll starter pots into 4" pots. I have Super Sweet 100's and a heritage variety called Brandywine. Their next stop is the garden!

Speaking of the garden, another one of my projects is three raised beds. I built these beds out of 12' 2 x 12's. The beds are 8' x 4' so each bed used two 12' 2 x 12's. I chose to put two angle brackets on each corner. I thought the brackets would make the beds more stable than if I'd just screwed them together. It certainly made them more expensive! The blank wall you can see to the left of the single bed is where my chicken coop is going to go. The chair you can see is where my little makeshift chicken playpen is and where I sit to watch them!

After construction I used some tinted wood sealer in a redwood color. It is a good match to the trim on my house. I put them up on 2 x 4's to make painting easier and to keep from painting the grass! The can said to be sure there was no rain in the forecast for at least 48 hours after application. It rained 5 times after I finished staining them!

They're still red so I'm moving forward. The single bed is in my backyard. The two beds are in my sideyard which is, unfortunately, a popular stop for deer. It is one of the sunniest spots on my property and I'm determined to take it back! My plan is to build two 3' tall cages, with doors, out of 2 x 2's, and cover them with chicken wire. Then I'll set them down over the beds and hopefully thwart the deer!

I'm getting a late start on my vegetable gardens this year. I was feeling guilty about that until it hailed three times this past week. Now I feel ever so much smarter than my more efficient neighbors who are replanting their gardens. Sometimes procrastination pays off!

Unfortunately, topsoil is a little hard to come by around here so I'm scrounging dirt and organic material. My worms will be contributing what they can. Luckily we generally have until at least late October before the first frost so I should have plenty of time to get in a good harvest.

Finally, the livestock! The chicks are getting bigger. I've been taking them outside for short periods when the weather permits. Here is a very short video of them in their little outdoor playpen! Haven't quite got the video capability of my camera figured out!

Between the eggs and the gardens I'm hoping to produce a large portion of my food requirements. Wish me luck and stay tuned for future urban "farm" updates!