Preparing

This blog began as an avenue to share the basics of "homesteading" and I feel I've given a bit more info about me than probably anyone is interested in, so now it's time to get down to the basics of what I'm doing and how anyone interested can do this and more, in attaining some provisionary independence. The autumn is truly the most easy going time of year for homesteaders, I think. Oh, I realize there is the winter preparation that must be made, but truth be told, except for wood cutting and hunting, most of the preparation better already be prepared! The autumn season is a time for the High Holy Days and actually making sure loose ends are tied up. So that translates into extra days of no ordinary work, and the days of ordinary work are a matter of winding things down for the year. I thought I'd run the experimenting gambit for various fresh veggies for winter, but as I mentioned in an earlier blog, I've got another idea this year. I will share one of my consistent success though and that's maintaining fresh herbs for the winter. I'm not going to say dried herbs are bad, but fresh ones are certainly more flavorful and keep a shut up house fresher. That's the worst thing about winter, in my book, no open windows or fresh air in the house. A little something, any little something growing in the window is just literally a breath of fresh air in the winter. This is the time to get those plants started. Some nurseries and greenhouses have them available as bedding plants, but the clearance seeds in the lawn and garden departments do well also. This is a great time of year to make purchases in the lawn and garden departments. Everything is on clearance and potting soil is a great bargain for any indoor or green house ideas you might have. There are a lot of gimmick ideas out there, and several "hydroponic" investments, as well as "special food" for soil free gardening. I'm not for any of that. G-d created things to grow in dirt, so I say, plant your seeds in planters or buckets or boxes, the type of container is irrelevant, just make sure it holds dirt and has good drainage. Another great thing I've discovered this year, and it would be better if my cats were more cooperative, but . . . using 5 gallon buckets as planters outdoors has been very productive. It looks like I'm going to have a lovely harvest of sweet potatoes later in the season. My technique on russets is more a matter of location than procedure. My recommendation, if you have cats, is to have one pot of catnip growing and the rest covered with some sort of fence material that has large enough openings for stems, vines, and leaves, but not enough for kitties to make themselves comfortable in the container itself. Now the herbs do not need nearly the space of a 5 gallon bucket. My personal preference is window boxes that will sit on sill and actually hold more than one plant. Leaf lettuce and green onions are also amongst my favorites for window boxes. It makes like such a nice little row of plants. Anything that does not require pollination will do well in the house for the winter. They may not grow as quickly in a cool window, but they will grow with water and light. It's not a bit start, but it's a sure start. Keeping herbs alive for the winter gives a great experience for seeding your own bedding plants for next year's garden. My recommendation for seeds is www.rareseeds.com Obviously, this is not all it will take to independently sustain a family or even an individual, but we all need to start somewhere and I think a practical plan that can be implemented for less than $10.00 is a good place to get started!