Featured are some pictures of a very meager beginnings of a backyard garden. The plants we have are tomatoes, basil, carrots (if they ever poke their heads up), chia (yes, chia), thyme, kale, spinach, sunflowers, beets, and strawberries. The cinderblocks are the beginnings of a raised bed (which now has the second layer of blocks on top). Although they might not be as pretty as wood, raised beds made with cinderblocks are more weatherproof and strong, as well as rearrangeable. In the holes we'll plant perennial herbs as well as some "deterrent" flowers like marigolds (good for keeping rabbits and deer away) and some helpful flowers that attract bees and spiders and mayflies and wasps, all which kill the icky bugs that eat all the good stuff.
Tomorrow, I'm going to visit the Imladris Family Farm where I'll be working part time weeding and harvesting the blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry patches. Imladris is a 4th generation family farm, making primarily jams, apple butters, raising rabbit for their poopy compost (it has a neutral pH and decomposes well) as well as for eatin', and, believe it or not, shiitake mushrooms. From what I hear, Walter actually makes most of his money from the shiitake operation he has by powdering them into a mix that, when added to sour cream, is so delicious that wars have been fought over it or something. It's almost twenty miles away but it shouldn't be too hard getting there on my scooter. Hopefully I'll get some nice pictures while I'm there so you can see what it's like too.
I've also seemed to have fallen into a dream job, that is, a part-time landscaping gig for my neighbor which involves a ton of weeding and eventually bed-building and planting of flowers,
herbs, and possibly dwarf fruit trees. You might not be able to see from the pictures of our yard, but we don't get too much sun back there and I want to maximize the space we have for growing food, not necessarily flowers. But in this yard I'll be able to do just that, while learning a bunch about gardening in and out. Hopefully, if they allow me, I'll be able to post some "progress" pictures with that project too.
Oh, yeah, and I quit my job at Earth Fare (an all-natural grocery store where I've been working for the past 9-10 months). I am working out my last two weeks as a cookie/scone/biscuit/muffin baker, and hopefully getting a part-time job elsewhere at a restaurant called O'Naturals where I'll be baking fresh bread for sandwiches. My interview is on Saturday, so wish me luck! Seems like they'll pay more and I get a free meal every day. The store opens up in July.
I ordered a bunch of gardening tools 'n' books:
Tools:
-Grow lights for seedlings
-Carpenter's square
-Handsaw
-Crescent wrench
-Level
-pH/Moisture tester
Books:
-Mini Farming for Self-Sufficiency (using raised beds to pump out the crop on 1/4 of an acre, enough to feed 3 family members)
-Country Wisdom & Know How (how-to of everything self-sufficient)
-The Garden Primer (the gardener's Bible)
-The Good Life (a chronicle of a couple in the Depression-era carving out a self-sufficient, totally vegan life in Vermont)
-Fruits and Berries for the Home Garden (the how-to on growin' the good stuff in your backyard)
-Grafting Fruit Trees (a little book/pamphlet that's hopefully informative)
Anywho, we're about to watch a movie, so I guess I'll go, but I just wanted to let you guys know what was goin' on in Asheville.
Much love,
Mark
FUN FACT: my brother Sebastian named his new kitten "Orange Fazeezy"
