Last weekend, we began our 2013 Urban Homestead Exchange program. Our first volunteer, Arthur, arrived on Sunday from Ontario, and jumped right in.
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A few days later, we have harvested the vermi-castings and cleaned out the vermicomposting unit, re-setting it for the season. A good bag of nutrient-rich casting is sitting in a part of the composting unit, waiting for some plants.
We`ve set up a jar-sprouting operation with three types of sprouts, and have a tray of seedlings growing on what I`m calling, an urban indoor farm (more details on that to come soon.) We are also working on repairing the leaking window farm which I build last year, and contemplating new designs for a window farm project potentially next week!
We`ve also picked up some gardening materials for the year - compost, mulch and some potting soil, as well as built a new raised bed box. In the past years, I have used scavenged wood from the street, building rough and uneven boxes. This year I wanted to invest in a box that I can disassemble, should I choose to move, and one made of sustainably-forested cedar, which is said to last a decade, even when untreated with outdoor wood chemicals.
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We`ve loaded up all my various planters - boxes, rock-beds, old-recycling bins, buckets, curb-scored planters, ect. - with a mix of soil from last year, crab meal (to add calcium), vermi-composting, and some peat moss I bought last year before I learned how un-sustainable it is. This mixture provides a blend of nutrients, soil and drainage which is ideal for above-ground growing.
And here we have the main garden space. Shitty boxes from last year are busted up and new ones are ready to go in! Check out the 2-compartment compost/bike rack we made last year from recycled pallets.
A single flower, planted years ago by someone else, blooms solitary.
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There`s still lots to do, so I`ll post another update in a week or two.
We had a cancellation for the late-May volunteer period, so if you are interested in the Urban Homestead Exchange, email me at sheena.swirlz@gmail.com
A few days later, we have harvested the vermi-castings and cleaned out the vermicomposting unit, re-setting it for the season. A good bag of nutrient-rich casting is sitting in a part of the composting unit, waiting for some plants.
We`ve set up a jar-sprouting operation with three types of sprouts, and have a tray of seedlings growing on what I`m calling, an urban indoor farm (more details on that to come soon.) We are also working on repairing the leaking window farm which I build last year, and contemplating new designs for a window farm project potentially next week!
We`ve also picked up some gardening materials for the year - compost, mulch and some potting soil, as well as built a new raised bed box. In the past years, I have used scavenged wood from the street, building rough and uneven boxes. This year I wanted to invest in a box that I can disassemble, should I choose to move, and one made of sustainably-forested cedar, which is said to last a decade, even when untreated with outdoor wood chemicals.
And here we have the main garden space. Shitty boxes from last year are busted up and new ones are ready to go in! Check out the 2-compartment compost/bike rack we made last year from recycled pallets.
A single flower, planted years ago by someone else, blooms solitary.
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We had a cancellation for the late-May volunteer period, so if you are interested in the Urban Homestead Exchange, email me at sheena.swirlz@gmail.com