My Gardening Start, And A Little About Poverty

In my garden, from Spring 2010

Today the boys and I started some seeds in 2 liter soda bottles. All of my seeds are organic, non gmo, and I am HOPING this year's garden will do better than last year's. We had a ton of eggplant, but not much else. I like eggplant, and as vegetarians, we rely on it for our burger fix{recipe here, if you're interested!} BUT DAMN IT WAS A LOT OF EGGPLANT. What I'm really after this year is a proper garden with a fuck ton of tomatoes because I really want to can/ freeze like crazy. Trying to buy organic produce is not easy where I live, not *everything* is readily available, nor is it affordable, and we are on a very limited budget.

Yes, we are POOR, and finding ways to live well, working to enrich our lives without spending money we don't have. So, gardening is one of those things. We've been punched in the face by the economy and made some unwise decisions. I miss having money, but I've found that, in some ways, this poverty has given me more opportunities than one would think. I've connected with people I wouldn't normally have, I've found passions I never thought I'd have.

I've learned to grow some of our own food. Even though it's out of necessity, it's given us something to do as a family that isn't using gas or costing money (except for the initial start up fund), and it's a great learning experience for all of us. We garden without the use of pesticides/ herbicides, and we'll be learning to preserve different things this year (my three year old insisted on growing beets, and I am 35 and have never eaten a beet in my life)...so! Lots of learning!

I started volunteering, because it really is a great way to find a job. I did find a job that way, but I also widened my circle of friends. And while I know ALL  kinds of people (rich & poor, atheist & religious, etc) we are all connected by our common passion. Also, serving others is GOOD for you. It adds such a richness to your life! It's easy to write a check to make a donation, but getting out there and working your ass off for something you believe in? It's infinitely better for you. I see the absolute worst of people, but I see the best of people too.

When we had money, taking a vacation meant going somewhere and staying in a hotel. But we can't really afford it now. I've connected with people online, through blogs and Facebook, and have cultivated friendships all over the country. I've gone to Colorado for the first time to visit a Facebook friend, and she took us all over Colorado Springs and Manitou Springs. We stayed in her little house with her daughter (the same age as my daughter) and her dogs, cooked our meals together and had a lovely time. This spring I am taking a solo vacation to Florida to stay with a bloggy friend I've known for a few years online. On the BEACH. I know the very kindest people.

We go to free local events. I've met artists, street artists, bands, poets, anarchists, activists, writers, etc. We are active in our economically diverse community, and nothing here is about how much money you have. In being poor, I really did learn that I have value that far exceeds the money I used to have.

Monday Monday

I'm ready to start my herbs inside! I have a bunch of 2 liter soda bottles that will be hung in a sunny window. I'll be recycling *and* showing my 3 year old the root growth. However, I am not just going on up to The Big Box Store to buy my seeds, I'm buying non gmo, non Monsanto affiliated seeds. They are nearly impossible to find. I did find a garden/ farm center here in the city that carries Livingston seeds, but it doesn't open until March. The lovely people at Livingston are, however, sending me 3 free packets of the herbs of my choice, just to hold me over.  #how to treat customers

I wanted something a little more sophisticated....

I went to Upcycle Exchange in search of origami paper. People donate arts & crafts supplies, which are sold on a pay-as-you-wish system. There was no origami paper, but I bought some vintage maps, which can be used for some origami. I ended up buying it from the craft store, which is exactly what I didn't want to do. Anyway, I will soon have a flock of cranes hanging from my ceiling.

Conrad & Kieran

Conrad's biggest problem when walking is OTHER DOGS. I thought he was dog aggressive until a trainer assessed him, now we know he is just terribly rude and doesn't know how to meet dogs. I've tried high value treats while making him sit when he sees another dog, I've tried saving feeding time until walks and feeding him in the presence of another dog, there's a LIST of things I've tried. This evening I put a Thundershirt on him and took him for a walk, and it was AHmazing. He would lunge and bark, and he had a very aggressive appearance. After the dog was out of sight, he would continue barking, and be very anxious.  But this Thundershirt made such a difference. He saw the dog, he sat down, looked at me, and I began giving him lots of verbal praise and high value treats. I am so proud of his progress.

Pallet Garden

We live in an apartment, and have a VERY small balcony, but we also have a yard that is  shared with  the downstairs tenants. We can use part of the yard for a garden, but I would like to have as much as I can on the balcony, easily accessible from my kitchen. 

I'm hoping for a much better garden this year than what I had last year. I want to use my space wisely, and have a wide variety of vegetables. I may be sharing space with a friend, which will also help to defray some of the work. This year, I really need to start canning and freezing. I met a woman a few years ago who had a pretty big garden, and rarely had to buy any vegetables at all....I'd like to be as close to that as I can. 

I'd like to have the yard fenced in completely, but it's a rental, so that isn't a likely thing. Ideally, we'd be able to have a nice outdoor living area. However, it wouldn't be nice without a six foot privacy fence. We're in the hood, yo. There's a lot of craziness around here. It's the fence issue that makes me seriously consider moving. I'd love a fence to keep my dogs in and the people out. If I could have some chickens too, that would be awesome. 

I always feel like I'm starting my planning too late. Shouldn't I have already started my seeds inside? Shouldn't I know where everything is going to go? There's lots of work to be done.....

DogStuff, GardenStuff,

This is Marini, a two year old shepherd mix. He has some anxiety issues to work on, and needs to learn his basic obedience. So tomorrow, that is what I'll start working on. I had a lot of success with the last dog I worked on. From the first class to the last class, she was a different dog. She started out with absolutely zero interest in me or in learning, but by the last class? OMG. She was amazing: engaging and charming and knew all of her obedience commands. Potential adopters love to see a dog that makes eye contact and can sit! lay down! shake hands! etc. THIS is what I want to help Marini accomplish.
*note: all of the dogs at the shelter have strange names

I worked with two dogs that I have ALWAYS been terrified of. This is a big deal for me! A chow, who had his warning growl trained out of him by someone who didn't understand it was preferable to have a growl before the bite than just a bite out of nowhere....and then a very large Saint Bernard/ Boxer mix that had some fear aggression issues. I just thought of them as puppies and went for it.








I've started planning my garden for this year. Last year's garden started out pretty well, but it turned into a disaster full of weeds. Also, the summer was unusually harsh where I live. I got some eggplants and tomatoes, but not much else. My seeds will come from Botanical Interests, because they are non gmo and not affiliated in any way with Monsanto. I'll need to do a  lot of things differently this year, I'm hoping I can carve out the time to have a proper garden, and even jar & freeze stuff.

Anyway! Big plans!