Before I show off a pictorial dispatch of the state of the garden, like to remind folks of an important food advocacy announcement. October is SAY NO TO GMO month.
Back in the late 1990’s, the GMO corn food contamination forced our family to radically rethink our growing efforts by turning our typical “hobby” garden into a full scale micro farm which provides our family with over 90% of our produce, annually harvesting 6,000 lbs on just 1/10 acre plot.
Since then we’ve learned to eat and making a living off and from the land. We are city farmers who are transforming our urban landscape into a viable productive plot.
As the weather gets colder, gardening get’s harder; however you can still join/ take the 100 Foot Diet Challenge!
Pssst all you poultry lovers, there’s another GIVEAWAY at Barnyards and Backyards
OK, now for some garden shots!
Tropical treats: pineapple guavas
Young mesclun green mix
Ollas and greens
Flowering fall tomato
Squash blossoms
First horn worm of the season
Jujube fruits from a farming friend
Fall green beans (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Sweet red marconi peppers (www.FreedomSeeds.org)
Eggplant
There’s a “homegrown revolution” underway? Are you a part of it? What have y0u done to reclaim your food supply?
Comments(8)
Gardenatrix says:
October 15, 2010 at 5:54 pmOh, how lovely! I have a pineapple guava / fejioa tree in my permaculture landscape, but it’s too young to bear fruit yet. Nice to know what’s on the way in future years!
Kris says:
October 15, 2010 at 8:03 pmAnais, I love all the pictures, and I am SO incredibly jealous of all the veggies you are still growing. Up here in the PNW the tomatoes are done, done, done, and the rest of the summer vegetables are quickly giving up the ghost. This evening I picked what I think will be my next to last batch of green beans of the season and roasted them for dinner with olive oil, sea salt & coarse fresh ground pepper (yumbo). The cukes are done, the peppers are done, the basil is done, etc. I do still have salad greens and some sugar snap peas and plenty of carrots and tomatoes to dig up as I need them, and some pumpkins, but nothing like what you’ve got. I just want you to know that my day isn’t complete without seeing what’s going on at the Little House In the City. Thank you for sharing your artistic photographs!
Phoebe says:
October 16, 2010 at 3:26 amI’ve never heard of Jujube fruits before, do you eat them raw or are they quinces that you need cook before eating? what can they be used for, e.g jam?
Anais says:
October 17, 2010 at 5:35 am@Phoebe: You can eat them raw, cooked (desserts or jam), or dry them for eating later. They taste like an apple/pear.
http://www.crfg.org/pubs/ff/jujube.html
http://www.ehow.com/facts_5406599_jujube.html
Phoebe says:
October 17, 2010 at 1:00 pm@Anais,
Thanks Anais!
kitsapFG says:
October 16, 2010 at 7:28 amFall is here in the PNW and I am in that strange part of the year where I am 1) harvesting items and caring for the fall/winter crops 2) Amending beds and working compost piles – esssentially putting some of the garden area to bed for the winter; and 3) Planting things (garlic for example and some asian greens in the greenhouse for late winter/early spring eating). While we are nothing close to the working urban farm that your family has created, we do have a respectable working food production garden that is a four season harvest garden. We are self sufficient on vegetables and produce a substantial amount of our own fruit as well.
Erica says:
October 16, 2010 at 4:48 pmWhat are your thoughts on chicken feed? I fear there is some GMO in the scratch I am buying my hens. We feed them leftovers and bits and ends, and they free range for bugs, but I have been giving them a bit of scratch grain as well. It is sure hard to find organic hen feed!
DallasFruitGrower says:
December 16, 2010 at 8:45 pmHow long did it take your pineapple guavas to produce fruit?
I have 5 that I planted 2 years ago, and I still have not seen a blossom or resulting fruit.
Thanks