I have read dozens of articles and books about small homesteads and organic gardening. I have been inspired and have learned more than I could have imagined this year about both subjects. I have also learned that there is so much more to learn.
Again I am faced with the realization that there is more to this generation gap than I could have known before.
I am no spring chicken and I was raised by two career oriented parents. Part of the reason the homesteading books fascinate me is they tend to contain everything imaginable. There are almost always sections on repairing plumbing, building furniture, repairing walls as well as farming and gardening.
I was given a fantastic education. I was challenged academically in almost all areas. I was involved in sports, music and other outside activities, but as far as learning anything about how to care for and maintain a home, I was shown the phone book and a checkbook.
It's not that my parents did a terrible thing. They were very busy. Why on earth would they repair the shower themselves or build a shed if they could make a phone call? These things did not interest them. They had done them when they were younger. My mother had even helped to build the home she grew up in.
How foreign my childhood is to my mothers. My mother had the best of both worlds. She lived just on the edge of a city, so had all of the conveniences, but occasionally had a cow or pig until it was time to butcher. She also had an acre of vegetable garden. She was hammering away at framing and roofing shingles in elementary school. My mom learned everything.
I have always lived in suburban neighborhoods. These neighborhoods do not allow for livestock and have rules about how many domesticated pets you may keep.
So here I am. I am reading voraciously, taking notes and trying to learn. My mistakes have made me laugh and shake my head. Previously, grandparents or parents would have taught by having children right beside them every step of the way. Children would have heard the phrases, "spank the tomatoes" or "peppers like to hold hands" as often as they heard nursery rhymes.
Those phrases would have meant something. As they were working, the grandparents or parents would have eventually explained what these phrases meant.
I have decided that although my parents and grandparents groan about their endless chores, this must be a better way to learn everything.
Several of my friends from high school are already grandparents. What on earth are we teaching our children and grandchildren? Are we teaching them to write a check? Do we tell them that we will just go to the big grocery store to get our food?
Oh, wait. I may have lost some of you.
I know that I will never be able to grow all of our food. I know that I am not 100%, live off of the land homestead material. I would starve and freeze to death if I had to try to live "off of the grid".
I am too dependent. However, with the multitude of concerns I have with food sources and the issues with mass production of chemically enhanced products, never mind the nastiness of the chicken factories... I am compelled to try to do a little more.
Here are some things I have learned:
Corn is a mistake. It takes up too much space in the garden and does not provide nearly enough nutrition to be worthy. There, I said it. I know that corn is as American as apple pie, but I have always considered corn to be in the same category as potato chips and now that I have grown it, I really detest it. Fair enough. No more corn.
Tomato plants and Oklahoma is insane. Yes, I have grown tomatoes every summer for years, and I do love them, but Oklahoma weather, storms and wind make growing them a very frustrating experience. This year, I have picked up my tomato cages 4 times in less that two weeks. The plants get large and the winds just topple them. However, there is just no comparison between the flavor of fresh tomatoes from the garden. The grocery store cannot produce that flavor, so I will continue. Perhaps I will invent some amazing new tomato cage that is Oklahoma wind proof. (sigh... as if no one has tried before)
Broccoli. Hmmm.. I am actually still undecided. It is lovely to have fresh broccoli, but I think I will try to master succession planting next year. Nobody at my house really likes to eat cooked broccoli and I planted six of them. The were all ready to pick the same week. We love fresh broccoli for snacks and in salads, but nobody likes broccoli enough to eat six heads in one week. There is more work to be done here.
Pumpkins. Pumpkins really do not serve a purpose at our house. I am the only one who likes pumpkin pie, so I only grow one plant, but they are just entertaining. In fact, watching them grow and the excitement of seeing how large they get in such a short span of time still makes them worthy in my book. We will do them again.
Peas. Oh, I wish I had something to say other than I must plant more of the sugar snap variety next year. I only planted ten of them this year and my youngest daughter has eaten all of the pods before anyone else has a chance. In an ideal world, and a larger yard, I would plant a few dozen plants just so that the rest of us can enjoy them also.
Wax beans/green beans. I don't know if I did something wrong, but I have eight plants and never enough to make an actual side dish. They are lovely and I have chopped them fresh into our salads, so perhaps I will need to plant a lot more of these also.
Cucumbers. Oh my. These are my heaven. I planted a different variety this year. They are they shape and color of lemons and they are absolutely divine. The only improvement I can think of is that next year I will need to create a taller, stronger trellis for them. The one I am using now has been completely taken over.
Squash. Blossom end rot and squash bugs. While others are complaining that they have too many zucchini and squash, I am occasionally getting one. I have already worked a new bed to try a different soil composition to see if this help with the winter squash.
Potatoes. Potatoes are not nutritionally worthy either, but since we occasionally love a potato and onion soup, I planted them. I have them planted in a large bag and they are pretty interesting. You are just not sure if they are done or rotted or whatever until you dig. Odd. I will plant them again next year.
Onions. I don't know what happened this year. I plant onions every year and always wish I had planted more. We use a lot of onions in cooking and salads and soups, so we love them. This year, it looks like I will only have five or six. They rest died. I don't know why.
Peanuts. Yes. You heard me. We added peanuts this year. Oh, we didn't plant enough to start making our own peanut butter. It was more of an experiment and learning experience. Peanuts grow flowers and then the flowers drop to the ground, bury themselves and become a peanut. They are pretty fascinating and if I had more space, I might grow more of them. We should end up with a quart size bag of shelled peanuts. We can either roast them and eat them as snacks or add them to the sunflower seeds that will go to the birds. Either way, we may plant them again next year if we have space.
Peppers. We love them. We have four different varieties growing. There is just nothing like picking a pepper, washing it, and adding it to a recipe or salad. It is pure loveliness.
This fall we are adding swiss chard, spinach and several varieties of lettuce outside.
Okay, maybe some of you do not like fresh vegetables as much as we do. I get more excited by seeing lovely produce than I do going to a new movie. The flavors are better and the entire meal is better with really fresh foods.
I learned something else valuable this year. I have never kept a gardening journal. I have previously just grown tomatoes, peppers and onions with the occasional "experiment" added. This year, as I have added more and more each month, I now understand why people keep gardening journals. Rain, weather, dates, locations, drawings of future ideas. I need a place for all of these. So, I have started a journal and have doodled, added pictures, made notes and jotted down thoughts for next year. Perhaps this will keep me from my annual, "Why aren't my tomatoes ripe now?".
Perhaps.
Yes, I am going to experiment with building my own trellises. I built my own raised beds this year and it was pretty easy. Until there is a greenhouse made of bulletproof glass that is anchored four or more feed underground, I am pretty sure that Oklahoma weather will drive me insane. My wonderful cucumber plant has leaves that look like swiss cheese. It's not from insect damage. It is from hail damage. Thankfully, it was not damaged too much, and is still giving me lovely cucumbers.
Every day, I go out to my garden and pick a few things to add to our dinner. Every day, I am aware that I am fair from self sustaining. Every day, I am thinking of ways to do this better.
I hope I continue to do a little more each year. It is more than satisfying to have my family that this is the best spaghetti sauce or the best soup they have ever had. It makes me happy. Not only do they notice the difference in the flavors, but they are also getting a little more foods that are chemical free. Maybe I am not able to teach them how to build a home, but I do believe that processed food simply does not taste as good to them either.
Each day is a gift. We have chances to make small changes every day and I am grateful for every opportunity to make changes for the better.
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