Backyard garden - adjusting with optimism

As we keep our eyes posted for property we can thrive with drive, in an off-grid setting, I must thrive in place as we seek our final destination.
I had found a place in ME, and hubby was on board, and while we planned to travel up to check it out, the weather deterred us, which led hubby to think further about his commute. ugh!!! This is the first time I have had regrets about not moving forward, yet I believe things work out the way they are meant to. Fortunately the seller found a buyer who his place was also perfect for. So, not to be discouraged, I will continue to look, but in doing so, one must not just "stop" one's efforts in one's current situation.

So...I have changed up the garden options in our yard, with hubby's support and strength, and with him taking a few vacation days, much was accomplished. Our raspberry bed had gone haywire due to "life" events, so to bring it back to order, David did get in and organize the bed, removing straying shoots, and m making manageable paths. I saved some of the shoots to plant elsewhere, or at least in portable planters to take with us. In that particular garden we put in a 10" raised bed, with plans to add 5" if we stay. The blackberries have not done well over the last few years, so I will also need to look into replacement ones and nutrients to make them thrive.

We put a few other raised beds around the yard, many of which we can take with us. The ones on the ground I fill with organic material around our yard, such as leaves and small twigs and such, followed by compost.
Not shown yet, are the green houses we built with what we had, with our now growing fruit trees but also a place to start the various herbs and veggies.

The goal is to not give up on moving, as we really need to get out of suburbia!! I have chronic persistent Lyme disease that many do not understand with one of the most annoying symptom of loud noises, and our neighborhood seems to be simply getting louder as it grows. Due to the length in which it took for it to be figured out, it is not something that will completely go away. It is why herbs are a vital element in my garden. and why desiring to find a home away from the rat race of modern society.
My gardens are where I thrive, preserving what I grow, and where I find solace in where I am at.

Anyway... a glimpse of a part of our efforts.

Earlier in the weekend, as I prepped a raised bed (my back is not my friend), where we had some small logs and branches that I used to fill in, then leaves and compost, etc. In the back you can see one of our greenhouses my husband built, and the garden next to the house is filled with perennial flowers and herbs, on the side I grow stevia, and to the left of this new raised bed, are mints and Valerian root. All these amazing plants will soon be visible as the season progresses.
Haven't yet determined what I will be growing in each raised bed, as it is too early to start planting due to any unforeseen frost surprises.

Congratulations on making do with, and making the best of your current situation!  So many people are so held back by not having the ideal property that they don't make any attempts to adapt to what's available.  

Kuddos to hubby on the greenhouse construction.  My current greenhouse is a 4' high dog kennel with a PVC "roof".  It's perfectly functional though ducking through that 4' opening several times a day gets old.  Plus it didn't cost me anything.

I'm sure the perfect property will become available in the future.  In the meantime feel proud that you are honing your skills and gaining experience for your next chapter.  For that I think you are awesome!

Welcome Laura! I'm in a similar situation, we had been "counting down" to selling our urban house and moving to a farm once my daughter graduated college this year, but our work situations (we both own our own businesses) took a real hard shaking this year and we've decided to sit tight and not waste $$$$$$$$ on moves (and the inevitable spending that comes with it, especially if we're rehabbing a derelict farm, which was the plan).
I'm currently deciding whether I can somehow fit chickens into my operation here, but this weekend we'll be expanding the rabbit setup, and I'm thinking some plants I've babied along in my garden for years with minimal results will now be headed off to the chipper to make way for things that actually produce. Fun times.

Thank you Michelle!! I am pushing through and trusting things will work out. Who knows, things could happen by fall, but I will not wish the season away without working.

That particular greenhouse was made with a gazebo that was hit by a fallen tree on our property. David did not want to get rid of the material, so after a few years of it simply "sitting there' creating an eyesore for me, I said "Let's make a greenhouse" He thought I was nuts, but I drew out what I was imagining, and he went to the lumber yard and started building. The first few years we used plastic, but slowly we are adding the poly walls, as the 6 mil plastic deteriorates with the winds and sun.

I agree, a 4' height would be a challenge, but we all manage when working with what we have.

Tereza, thank you for the welcome.
LOL "off to the chipper..." Sometimes we have to do that.  It allows us to expand our options, and try something new.

Today is a day of cleaning up leaves. In an off-grid setting, I would not be raking into bags for the town to pick up, but our compost is full, all the raised beds have their layer of leaves. Usually my husband will take the tractor and mulch it and we layer into the compost. Egads, the winds were really bad this winter, and we even have fir tree bits all over, which would make the compost too acidic. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding.

With our plans to move, we sent our chickens off to freezer camp...only good for broth, but they were fed really well. We should be getting our next set of pullets mid-June, and by fall we will be ready for eggs, as I am going through all that I water glassed.

I want to get rabbits, as their are fabulous for gardens (our girls raised them for a homeschool project where every garden that had rabbit droppings did fabulously. The daisies grew so tall, we called them atomic daisies LOL
David knows that the other reason I want rabbits is for a source of meat. He used to hunt, yet I think with age and his soft heart, he has a hard time considering these animals, which I want to raise, are brought in for food. I think when we get out of suburbia, he will be less apprehensive.
I was thinking of getting at least two, which would benefit the gardens quite well. How many do you have, and are you using them for food and/or compost?
I am also certain, that once a month has passed since Easter, families will be looking to get rid of their rabbits. They are so cute as a baby, but many find them to be too much work.  

Laura Field wrote:
I was thinking of getting at least two, which would benefit the gardens quite well. How many do you have, and are you using them for food and/or compost?
I am also certain, that once a month has passed since Easter, families will be looking to get rid of their rabbits. They are so cute as a baby, but many find them to be too much work.  

I'm in the same boat and figure I'll be seeing some cheap leftover rabbits this weekend (here people would just eat them instead of get rid of them).
I originally got two some years ago, supposedly sisters, and had a different male lined up to start breeding for manure and meat. It turned out that the sisters were actually boy and girl siblings, which threw a wrench into things, and I decided to let them just produce manure and they ended up living 7 years. Replaced one with a rehomed pet (what I have now). I really do depend on the manure, and one rabbit is not enough, plus my garden waste can easily feed two or three and I have forage year round.
We have been on and off about whether to start producing meat or not, but I think the time is right now, and I'm reorganizing my garden. I also thought I would have problems butchering but frankly after having raised them for so long I feel much less perturbed. Any of the rabbits I've had so far would have happily butchered me, given the chance (not sure if that's normal or if I just get the real crazy ones).

I would really like eggs, but I'm not sure about chickens. I'm in an urban space, we have so many predators (cats, raptors), and the garden is so small they'd have to be enclosed all the time. My mother claims the smell/noise isn't enough to bother anyone, but I have my doubts-- my garden/yard is about 10m by 7m, and my neighbors are nosy.

Tereza,
Well, that was a sneaky surprise, having received both sexes.

There really is no issue with chicken smell, even in an enclosed run. We have a coop with a run attached. Chickens do a lot of letting go of their waste, but most is at night. One thing I hope we can do is get some scrap linoleum to put on our wood floor. That way we can sweep it out, then do a clean with a homemade cleaner, then with the hose.
David made a very sturdy coop, a foot off the ground, which we allowed them to hide under to stay cool. Yet, we plan on using chicken wire to keep them out, as it was very difficult to retrieve them at night or when one was sick. The other thing we did was made sure the wired wall went into the ground to deter predator, and a wired roof as we have a possum who would more than happily take them out. They can be quite vicious.
The run was built with a sturdy wood frame,, double locks on all doors, and we used hardware cloth all around the coop. It seems to keep predators at bay

During the summer, we watched from the gazebo at night, and saw skunks, raccoons, and possums roam over, but no harm came to the chickens.

I just checked my video's to see what one would best show our coop and run set-up. There is a smaller coop inside, as we had got a 2nd batch of chickens, which helped in acclimating them together. David did not make it, and both of us having worked with wood, it wasn't the best, but it worked for our purpose. We plan to take it out before the new girls arrive, mostly to give them more space. I'm not sure if sharing a video is allowed, if not, I can remove this.

https://youtu.be/cHL5_fXMFdk?si=jBNs6cxjaKhOsFIG

Yes videos are allowed.

I can really relate to this post.  We were preparing to combine house with my father and live in his upstairs and have a portion of the yard so I could do more gardening/growing.  But between my father's tendency to play mindgames (which are getting harder to tell when its purposeful and when he legit forgets what he said, and the fact that my husband, though willing to make the sacrifice, really wants to stay near his work and in the county we're currently in, we are staying put in our apartment for another year.  Which means still gardening on a balcony.  My father will be finding someone to rent out his upstairs to, which with some help from me I can see working out, because he is getting to where living alone is getting harder, just having another human in the house should help in case of emergency etc.  While his need is increasing, its not enough to lead to us moving back up there, given the challenges of his behaviour.  I'll continue to visit with him one or two evenings a week as per usual.  

While I'm bummed about continued balcony gardening, I'm glad its not as shady as last year, since they trimmed the maple trees last autumn.  I still wish for a yard, but the proverbial price was too high in trade for it.  So it will have to wait.

Many are struggling to find a home/property to homestead on. Everyday I am extremely grateful to have a home that is fully paid off, but we never meant to stay here, but with work, church, healthcare, children, etc. life got busy. We did look at a few about 20 years ago that I wish we had ventured towards getting. Live and learn.

Riona, I have a friend who also lives in an apartment, he does hydroponic gardening all year round and produces a lot of greens. He also lives in a town that has quite a bit of free food to forage and in addition brings his hydroponic set-up out on his balcony. In our town, we used to be able to pick free wild blueberries, yet as they continue to build, those places to forage are getting fewer and fewer.

I'm sorry about your situation w/your dad. That's hard and can be a challenge I don't wish on anyone.

Stay focused on your dream and believe in the reality that it is possible with patience and planning. But for now, work with what you have and when the time is right, at least this is what I believe for our circumstances, is that the right place will present itself.

Rabbit update! This weekend got myself a "leftover" rabbit from one of the "backcountry" ag stores. Hard to tell but at least a year old, definitely female, and at least part giant (Dutch, Flemish, hard to tell). She also may be bred, as she was kept in a run with some others, I figure I'll just see what happens on that front for the time being.
I considered getting a male to go with her, but decided to hold off for a while until I'm sure I'm really ready to get the breeding thing going and have a few more cage/run setups ready to go (I still have my other small rabbit, and the priority is manure, not meat). I have never had a large rabbit like this, she's super chill (was a yard pet type thing) and hasn't bitten/growled/attacked/etc yet. She DEFINITELY meets my requirements with regard to waste disposal/manure production!! Man can this girl eat!

That is neat Tereza!

Laura we will have to see.  We're looking to see if there's anything more viable for us, I'm thinking really small house or duplex with a small yard, we may go ahead and take the risk and rent month-to-month instead of renewing for a year, so we can find the right thing when it presents itself.  Just praying and hoping for good things, because there are so many things I want to do and ... well you know.

Laura Field wrote:

I saved some of the shoots to plant elsewhere, or at least in portable planters to take with us. In that particular garden we put in a 10" raised bed, with plans to add 5" if we stay. The blackberries have not done well over the last few years, so I will also need to look into replacement ones and nutrients to make them thrive.

The goal is to not give up on moving, as we really need to get out of suburbia!! I have chronic persistent Lyme disease that many do not understand with one of the most annoying symptom of loud noises, and our neighborhood seems to be simply getting louder .

I am in the Gatineau mountains 4a, humid

Old plastic buckets that look like they will crack soon can have some holes drilled underneath, placed on flat rocks in an old kiddie pool or pond, with smaller tall items in between the buckets -- you could add your poop but eating the berries may be an acquired taste! Anyway you can add your urine, but give them full time access to clean water in the pond. They will be happy and so will you

For the blackberries I would try giving some the same treatment. I did this with dog poo, obviously a flavorful mix for composting bibits and real soul added, and they were fine, the raspberries great but black raspberries may be worth trying too -- I am happier with them than blackberries and tend to let most of the blackberries clean up a couple of patches of contaminated soil from previous and only owner on this piece of forest .Rust ia the indicator, and I burn those canes.

I have wild sasparilla growing here in the Gatineau mountains which was an indigenous remedy for syphilis, a close relative of Lyme disease. It takes a while to establish, but it is an underground vine that spread like poison ivy, and often seen nearby that plant, so although it loves shade, it can profit from a combination of shade and sun, feeding different parts of the organism with moisture and sunlight, unlike ginseng another close relative of wild sasparilla, that must propagate through seeds.

The indigenous would eat it along trails, stripping the white root away from the long fibers and it was an energy boost. Perhaps you have a shady area that borders on sunlight where you might try it. It also produces an edible berry although I don't use them. Wild sarsaparilla - Aralia nudicaulis

No guarantee this works for Lyme just what I have read and I have eaten my roots but mostly I increase its range every year