The heirloom tomato seedlings that I planted in pots are all still alive in the back yard, in spite of extreme high winds, heavy rains, and various animals. DH is trying to keep up with mowing the yard, a herculean task. I have been hoping for months that he would clear around the chiminea so we can have a fire but he hasn't gotten around to it; that yucky job may be my holiday contribution tomorrow since we don't have any other plans.
Here is my new favorite blog this week, which includes a lot of videos:
http://self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogspot.comI am reading the blog and watching all the videos backwards from the beginning in 2008; currently in summer 2009.
In England, Jonathan Wallace and his partner made a goal around 2008 to become "self-sufficient" by growing all their own food themselves on their allotment (what we would call a large garden or small acreage). They estimated that the land had not been worked for at least a decade, so the first thing they had to do was dig out all the weeds and brambles, and dig in manure. The blog and videos show their progress in adding different crops, and then adding hens, ducks, goats, and bees.
For many of the things they cannot produce themselves (such as wild game), they trade vegetables, honey, livestock, and jams/jellies/pickles.
I really like his videos. He has a very soothing voice, and I've watched & read enough British English to translate things like courgette = small zucchini, marrow = very large zucchini, aubergine = eggplant, gherkin = small cucumber, etc.
Here is a good example from early in the blog:
http://self-sufficientinsuburbia.blogsp ... arlic.htmlThis is the kind of reality show I enjoy. Why can't we have more of these programs on network tv?
Note that on his youtube channel, Jonathan also has a lot of travel videos from all over the world, as well as some specific to British politics. He is now "retired" while he works the farm, and previously was not a politician himself but worked with a local political office. I am skipping all of these videos but will probably go back to watch the travel ones sometime after I view the gardening ones.
Jonathan also has a lot of knowledge of edible plants that can be found growing wild, so he harvests a lot of things from public property. I don't think that would be legal here -- nor would I feel safe, not know what chemicals might have been sprayed on the plants.