My water conservation…and conversations…

I was watering the flower bed tonight, now that it has cooled off outside.  This entails carrying the 3 gallon bucket from the bathtub out to the flowerbed about 10 times.  I had a conversation with a young man who told me, “Of course I re-use my grey water, I pay for it!”   Good point, sending it down the drain, even when I have taken my quick 3 minute showers, feels so wasteful.  This way I get to use it as much as possible.

I realize I have stopped lifting weights, with iron dumbbells anyway, since I started gardening. I don’t need them; I haul dirt, shovel compost, use a hand saw for all woodworking (gives blisters, but is great for the back, shoulders and arms!)….  What a natural way to stay in shape.  Along with yoga, and much much dancing…it all works!  I never expected to find such a deep, primal connected-to-the-earth feeling that I have found.  This tiny plot of rented earth is a little system that is growing me much food.  I found much inspiration from a website called HomeGrownRevolution and PathToFreedom.  My goal is to be growing all of my own vegetables by the end of this year. Right now I have sweet potatoes, red potatoes, Swiss chard, broccoli, flowering kale, green leaf lettuce, nasturtiums, 10 tomato plants, cucumbers, 2 year old banana tree, a strawberry plant I get one strawberry a week from (and it is heavenly!), aloe, basil.  Some tomato plants are outside in the square food garden Aloe in foreground, then Swiss chard, broccoli.

I have been seriously gardening since last July.  At that point, I began bringing huge amounts of kitchen scraps home from a health food store deli, where I was a Chef. When I say huge, I mean it; Big black trash bags full of lettuce leaves, 3 gallon buckets of kitchen scraps, ALL ORGANIC!  Twas heaven!  I just threw the bags in the sun for a day or two, then poured the glop into the raised beds, along with organic dirt, some topsoil, perlite, peat moss, compost, coffee grounds.  Then I planted sweet potatoes and peppers.  The sweet potatoes didn’t do well, but when I put then in 1/2 barrels, they took off. 

I built an L shaped raised bed using garden timbers, untreated.

Before going into the compost, I culled seeds, these pepper plants were the first thing to get planted.

Then I installed an outdoor solar shower, a compost bin, two rain barrels.  The wood all came from a friend who has a lawn business, all pallets or fencing I used as is, or taken apart.  Then I put up row covers.  Now it doesn’t require much work on a day to day basis. Except for hauling buckets of water from the rain barrels, and hauling it from inside to water trees and flowers.  Sigh!  I wish my landlord would let me set up a grey water system.  I tried.  Maybe it’s better for me to have to haul it. I am acutely reminded with every drop that I conserve that it is precious. We are all stewards of our earth.  It is inevitable that we all have to conserve.  To take on the challenge to commit to this degree seemed daunting, but I have found so much joy and satisfaction in it.  Isn’t it that way at anything you have to truly work at, develop discipline for? 

The funny thing is that as much as I love digging in the dirt, composting, gardening in general..  I have found that the hydro stuff inside is feeding me the most, it just thrives.  The tomatoes, planted at the same time, are three times as big and already producing inside in the grow box and in the deep water culture set up.  The water farm I turned into a hybrid set up grows my one strawberry plant. I need about three plants to feed me strawberries.   I’m getting one a week now…..

Tomatoes are in the grow box and white bucket, strawberries are in the WaterFarm.

My first tomatoes!!  🙂

Outside;

Sweet Potatoes Red Potatoes

Swiss chard, Blue Bonnets, Cucumbers