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Riona's micro-homesteading thread

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

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Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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posted 6 months ago

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So come June I get to graduate from apartment patio/balcony gardening (balcony currently) to sharing a house with my father and getting part of the yard for growing things and other projects. I'm excited about this next step, hoping to get enough happening to where we get more food, not just an occasional treat like it is now with such limited growing space.

I'm want to write about this process for a few reasons:
A, in case its useful for someone else.
B, to keep me on track and accountible, because I have grand ideas but due to the way my brain works differently I can struggle with feeling motivated on some days.
C, to keep track of my progress in my goals.

So what are those goals?
Growing vegetables, fruits, and flowers for the pollinators.
Get a functional compost system going, eventually including Bokashi.
Learn how to grow mushrooms starting for autumn.
Get my vintage+ business back up and going through the home business route.
Obtain/build a small forge so my husband can blacksmith.
Learn with my husband how to make our own mead for personal consumption..

Those are our goals for the first year. I know there are lots of other things one can get going. But I'm choosing things we're actually interested in, as not all homesteading activities are things we're aiming for. I'm trying to be realistic factoring in my disabilities, etc.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Susan Mené

gardener

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Location: Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)

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For me getting/finding/creating more space to grow is such a happy thing.
I wish you rich soil, much learning, and a bountiful harvest...or just a harvest. Sometimes it takes time.

I choose...to be the best me I can be, to be the strongest me I can be, to learn the most I can. I don't know what comes next. But I'm gonna go into it balls to the walls, flames in my hair, and full speed ahead.

Matt McSpadden

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Good luck and have fun with the additional space :)

Be sure to take it slower than you think you need to. It is common to want to do everything at once and then it becomes overwhelming. I remember tripling the size of my garden one year... and ran out of time to plant it all in our short season. I only got maybe half of it planted before the rest of the things would not have had time to mature before frost. I felt so frustrated that I had all that unused space prepared.

"When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind." C.S. Lewis
Visit https://themaineingredient.com for organic, premium dried culinary herbs that are grown, processed, and packaged in the USA.

Nancy Reading

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Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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Hi Riona, June seems quite late to be starting a season gardening. Can you work out ways to hit the ground running? Lots of things might be started in pots and be ready to plant out perhaps. I'm thinking tomatoes, squash... also any perennial veg you might want to grow, as long as you can keep them watered through the summer as they get established.
You could do some garden designs if the area you will be using is decided at the very least.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Anne Miller

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Your plan sounds like a good one to me.

Since you are going to learn to make mead are there bees in your future?

Why are you waiting until autumn to start growing mushrooms?

Invasive plants are Earth's way of insisting we notice her medicines. Stephen Herrod Buhner
Everyone learns what works by learning what doesn't work. Stephen Herrod Buhner

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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Nancy, I'll be growing all I can on my balcony for now of course.

Ann I've thought about that, my father used to keep bees as a young man and I think it might be something he would consider again as a hobby, I should suggest it to him.

My reasoning for waiting until autumn for shrooms is because I know nothing about growing them yet, so I don't want to get ahead of myself and try to figure out and do everything at once. I know myself about that.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Back on the microgreen bandwagon:
I just got some microgreens started yesterday. I grow them in a jar on the window sill. It takes ten days, and I want to get better about doing this on the regular. They're tasty when they work. For now I'll only do one jar at a time, but once we combine house with my father in June I intend to have two jars going at once and stagger them. Right now I'm trying to start them on the 1s, you know, 1st, 11th, 21st, and then harvest on the 10s, 10th, 20th, 30th, ... ish. That way I can keep track of what day we're on.

In future when I get two jars going staggered, since we'll have more people in the house, then I'll do the secondary jar on the 5s for starting and on the 4s for harvest.

Sometimes my dad gives me garden experiments, he sprouted an onion top for me, not realizing it must have the roots to grow new onions. So I grew it for a bit and then we ate the onion tops a couple of days ago in our pasta. I find that onions are hard for me, because all my attempts to grow them have failed due to too much water. I need to somehow learn to "do onions right" and only let them have water rarely. How often should one water onions?

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Walking the Land:
So obviously people try to keep tabs on things and get them done. But for me I've found that this idea of walking the land each day, or at least on a regular basis, to survey everything is a good one. Right now "the land" consists of a one bedroom apartment with a balcony. But I've started doing a purposeful practice now of going in each room and the balcony each day and using my senses to be mindful about what needs doing and either do it today or plan for it in future and agknowledge it purposefully to myself to remind myself if I can't complete the task today. Listening, touching, smelling and yes looking to the extent that I can. Observing intentionally in all ways.

Once we move in June "the land" will get bigger and I want these habbits to already be in place so as to increase their effectiveness.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Susan Mené

gardener

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Location: Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)

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Walking the land each day has helped me the most.
I was going to write more, but when I re-read your post I realized you pretty much said it all.

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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Susan feel encouraged to write more if you want to, or even start a thread on the practice.

Orchid Mistakes:
So my husband sometimes brings home random plants for me. This can be great, except when they're house plants. We don't have a ton of room so they're crowded on the window sill at this point. There are 2 orchids, started with 3, one died. I recently transplanted them into those pots with holes in them and got the bark chips for them. I skimped though and didn't buy the moss or the pre-mixed medium

Now I realize why that was foolish, the moss is what holds the water in, other wise it drains out lickety split and I need to water these goons every other day. And the bark chips go everywhere. So tomorrow I'm biting the proverbial bullet and buying some moss, because I need it now, rather than scavenging it off rocks etc. that would take me a long time. Once they start to grow I'll need to put liquid organic fertilizer in them, and thus quick drainage would be bad news and messy, even with the drainage trays. I wonder if I can use my granulated stuff and just put it in a cup with water for an hour and then pour it on my orchids? That sounds good on paper, I don't want to have to buy them more special stuff.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Little things in the almost-spring:
So the orchids now have some spagnum moss mixed in with their bark chips, the pitcher plant now has a cute new tray, because it likes to suck up water from below. Now the bowl it and its pot were sitting in is back in my cupboard for dish use. I transplanted my aloevera plant into a bigger pot. I'm looking forward to teaching the pitcher plant and the aloevera how to live outdoors, undercover, once spring comes and it gets warmer. I intend on having the poinsetia outside too from May-Septemberish, The window sill is quite crowded.
Meanwhile my lettuce experiment is really starting to get happy, and I think two of my plum pits from my favourite ornamental plumtree have taken and sprouted! I will have too many plumtrees after a while haha.

I was out walking in the "big city" yesterday, aka Portland, and found a free "seed library" I kid you not! You know how people set up "little free libraries" in their yard with books to take, and occasionally they have other small free things in them too? Well this is a box on a post which has little hooks and tiny seed packets hang on each hook! That made my day and I took a tiny packet of mystery seeds, mystery because the writing is too small so I didn't find out what I had until I could pop it under my cctv device to read it at home, its a locally native annual flower that self-sows well! To be planted in the early spring, so coming up soon!

So I'm almost done with a cold/nose/throat thing and I figured out a trick. A memory from my girlhood came to me and I woke up wanting to see if it would work. It was something I'd seen done at the hospital when I worked there for a summer temp. job at age 16. That vibrating a person's chest could loosen phlegm, they had one of those massage things from back then and used it on a little girl on the unit. Anyways so I tried it with our massage gun and sure enough, it really helped when it was time to get it all out. Feel encouraged if you have one to try it next time you're in such a sicky situation

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 10792

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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Riona Abhainn wrote:I was out walking in the "big city" yesterday, aka Portland, and found a free "seed library" I kid you not!)

Maybe another permie!

I've been giving away spare seeds in my shop again. I was hopeful that others would bring in their seeds and have a bit of a swap going on, but unfortunately it has been a bit of a one way box. However I've been telling people the only cost is that they have to plant them. Last year I got carrots back from my carrot seeds that I gave away, so it is good insurance! I have more seed than I need thanks to saving my own. It's better for them to be planted than to be stuck in a cupboard and lose viability.

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Spring has Sprung!:
On a walk back on Mon. I smelled flowers blooming around town and the most important one to me that I smelled was daphnies. That is how I measure the arrival of spring here, so I called it on Mar. 3rd. And guess what happened the next day? My Italian plumtree baby burst out in little delicate flowers! Before he even got leaves this year. This is his first time flowering so perhaps he is confused, maybe he's not supposed to flower before leafing? This will be his/its third summer of life, and we'll see if we get any plums, I'm gently brushing my hands along the flowers on the branches and then brushing the next branch to help it pollinate in case we don't have enough bees, hopefully that will be good. I know though that since its the first time flowering maybe there won't be fruit. Note that this plum tree was grown from pit in a friend's yard under its mother.

Speaking of plum pits, two of the ones I depositted in a pot have started, so hopefully in addition to my Italian plum tree I'll have ornamental plum trees too eventually, as that is my favourite plum variety to eat.

My lettuce experiment is very happy with the weather, I also planted my red radishes in a pot and some daikons in a pot as well.

The one negative thing happening is that my microgreens seeds proved too old so they were a moldy mess and went nowhere good. I need to buy some seeds in bulk for microgreens. I also need some garden scissors, as my kitchen scissors don't really work as well as I'd like for cutting old bouquets or wreaths to put in compost.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

posted 6 months ago

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Keep it up! That's really inspiring. I feel you on the space thing. I currently live in a small apt. No room to garden haha and I have some seeds. I been planting greens in bottles last year. Planted potatoes and garlic in the woods last year they came out great.

This year I am going to try growing potatoes inside my van in 5 gallon buckets with a small irrigation system I rigged up. I want to try moringa trees when it gets a bit warmer and harvest more wild greens and dry em up out em in soups.

I'm sort of new to this but I figure if you keep things simple, work with what you have and have fun 😊 that positive energy will find a way.

Our ancestors never had these types of resources today and they probably had it in their mind to improvise be creative and try different things with what they only had to work with( resources). Their spirit and DNA 🧬 is inside of you. So maybe their memories are too

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

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I also noticed as more people are getting into homesteading/ permaculture and back to nature, I noticed they are exploring their hidden talents or hobbies. And well it turns out this small biz idea and then next thing you know you are bartering with your neighbors and everyone is sort of circulating things they are offering to each other and it creates this beautiful micro community. I think a lot of people on forums like this are sort of of the headstart of it.

As the economy and etc get a lot worse people will catch on and realize what going on and what they need to survive. It's cool to read your post I see the physical manifestation of these things I always think about how the world is heading. Back to our roots! Much love to you and yours.

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

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If you build it they will come. And God only gives you things you can handle, so if you think you can't handle it you probably can. Thanks for your wisdom and much love in your and your dynasty's journey back to nature.

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Hi Rad, thanks so much for the encouraging comments! I want to hear more about what you're doing in your apartment, your van and surrounding woods with guerilla gardening and foraging.

I hear Frogs!:
Yes friends, on my balcony tonight I hear them! The creek is to my south, and yet I hear them to the east, figure that one out. I just love frog noises! That is something I will miss when we combine house with my father come June, there's a pond in walking distance but its too far away to hear them. At my last apartment we could hear them in our drainage ditch too, so such a happy comforting familiar sound.

I didn't realize this was possible, but in the pot I planted the daikon seeds in I found a tiny baby slug, on the second floor, how did he get there? I dropped him off the balcony so he couldn't eat anything of mine, hopefully some other creature eats him. Do slugs have any permie uses? And one more of my ornamental plum tree pits has sprouted, that's 3 out of 6 or 7 pits I plopped in a pot just in case they took. At this rate I can probably send 1 or 2 to new homes after a while.

I trimmed my poinsetia, it has two healthy new green leaves, and a few of the red leaves are still happy and didn't die, so I left them there. I wonder if that's okay? I want to have a yearly Christmas decoration so I kept one from my in-laws' church from Christmastime and researched it, so I can have it again and perhaps longer

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Bartering:
I like bartering. Today we helped my longtime friend get a bunch of barkdust and chips from his neighbour's overflow chipdrop leftovers from around the corner and across the street into his backyard for his mom's gardening. In trade he gave me a bag of vintage clothing to sell in future. I chose not to take any bark dust because right now there's no place to put it, I'm trying not to take things over to my dad's house yet, all his stuff upstairs that he no longer needs must go bye-bye first before we start bringing more over, inside or outside.

Speaking of selling vintage, what will eventually happen come summertime and our move is that my dad's entry way will become my home-business shop space. There's a cap on how many customers one can have per day in a home business, but as long as we're not exceding that, ... much

then we'll be solid. I need to get some room dividers and have a fancy sandwich board sign made. But that's on the later list right now.

I planted 2 garlic cloves in pots, and we'll see how that goes.

Yesterday we went and picked up a couple of costume pieces for my husband for faires, a friend made them for us and we paid her, when possible we like to support local and shop local and do local when we can afford to.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

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Wow there ya go. That's really awesome. Yep right on. That's beautiful.

Once things come together and y'all feel at home I hope you might find some frogs that make they're way up your way.

I bought some garlic to plant too. It's hard though I gotta stop eating them.

Last year I guerilla gardened a bunch of fruit trees, potato onion and garlic. I want to focus on stuff that blends in and takes a few years to get established but will yield a lot more for more people. I noticed how ancient tribes would plant groves of berries or fruits veggies what have you, and prune the areas and walkways in between. Gonna try the berries with the pines and moor persimmon and paw paw this summer. Threw some jalapeno peppers, cantaloupes, gotu kola, and some random seeds in the winter just after a snow.

Also want to try the three sisters method with young trees as the 'corn'. Have pole beans or melons to run up the trees and squash, strawberries on the bottom. Will try potato and garlic again. I just love potatoes. I noticed when I really take the time to observe nature I see little pockets of where the plants would go or feel at home. Kinda like waking around in high school noticing all the different cliques. Ideally I'd like to be there when it rains, then I see where the raindrops fall. I'll plant the root and tubers there like sweet potato. Let me run and hold the water in. Etc...

Id like to plant more in my apt, my problem is the lighting. The sun doesn't go through the windows very well. Every time I plant something the plants start drooping. I can't really afford the grow lights. I may try spinach I heard you don't need a lot of light for it.

Wow that vintage scene is a great thing! I know folks and myself like to buy vintage things handmade or at the STORE lol. I like a lot of the old buckskin native wear and moccasins those are cool.

I live near a lot of Amish, most of the seeds and my eggs I get from them. They make alot of cool handmade things too. Very rustic too.

One Amish place here makes homemade sausage and ice cream. They make ice cream the old fashioned way, with modern machines and stuff. But man that's stuff is good. They don't barter now but I'm willing to bet the way things are heading lol who knows.

Keep on creating this is really inspiring. You know some days I just feel like quit or just throw it all away. But then I see posts like this and others I get motivated to keep going. Iron sharpens iron. Much love to you and your husband on this full moon!

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Thanks Rad, I love how you are finding bits of earth to plant seeds in in the woods near you, creating a gathering space for foragers, including yourself. There is so much as can be learnt from old ways.

Tiny Green Plant Noses!:
The red radishes I planted are starting to sprout, pushing their tiny green plant noses above the soil. Also happening with my ostromeria, it wanted to grow back in Jan. and Feb. and got started with new 2025 growth, but our snowstorm knocked it on its butt and it had to start over again, but that new beginning is sweet and lovely, as with all perenials. Also I have some sort of mystery allium trying to grow in my blueberry pot, I may have to transplant it if its an onion because they need way less water than blueberries, I've not been successful with onions from over watering, they seem to like to have some serious dry time. I have a couple of plant boxes that are designed to attach to a balcony railing, I planted a bit of NW Native wildflower seeds in there, we'll see if they like it. When we move I'll attach them to the rim of the fence instead.

Today I went to the dark/vampire/gothic artisan market and got us a new bar of fancy lovely soap, smells so good.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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No Bulk Seeds at the Farm Store?:
So I went to Wilco to buy a bag of broccoli seeds, as I need new seeds for microgreens and I could plant some broccoli regular too. But all they had were those normal garden seed packets. Seriously, but if its a farm store shouldn't they have seeds in bulk? At least I bought some garden scissors so I can stop using the kitchen ones for that. But I guess I'll just suck it up and buy a 1 lb bag of broccoli seeds or something online. I don't enjoy buying things online.

The first daikon radish sprout has come up, and my liaptris flowers have sent little spikes up above the soil line. My blueberry bush now has tiny leaves and the inoguoral flowers on the Italian plum tree are still there.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Little leaves:
My Italian plum tree sapling has its leaves coming in now, as its first showing of flowers are starting to drop. I hope it will set some plums this year but know it might not fully understand how until next year since flowering is a new skill for it. I don't know when it goes from being a sapling to being a "real" tree, maybe it already is?

I had a great singing gig for St. Patrick's Day down in Silverton, 50 min. from me, made lots of money. I make sure I'm singing every week, whether that be a paying job at a Renaissance Faire or a restaurant/pub, or busking for tips at a park, or just singing on facebook live with my tip links up (cash app. venmo paypal.) If I miss a week then I make sure to sing twice the next week. And if I perform at a multi-day faire then I can take a break the next week. Trying to be mindful and push myself while still taking good care of my instrument, as it were. I know lots of songs of course, but I like to learn new ones to add from time to time.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Planted lettuce and spinich:
I got my lettuce and spinich planted in containers, like everything for now. Also my garlic babies sprouted, I helped my good friend who lives next door plant a garlic clove too so she can get a bulb later in the year she grew herself, she is in the infancy of learning how to garden. I planted 2 cloves, one per smallish pot, but they're big enough to grow a bulb. I'm getting to where I know enough to start helping others learn.
I think my mint is dead, as hard as that is to believe. It died off early last year, around August, and there's no sign of new growth, I've had it for a few years and divided it last year in springtime, so presumably some of it is still growing where I guerilla planted it outside my last apartment, but none is growing in the pot I have, I thought mint was nye on impossible to kill.

My friend gave me her strawberry container from last summer which fruited for her, but which I'm afraid is royally dead and is showing no signs of green leaves. I have experienced strawberries lasting a few years when happy, but apparently these aren't happy enough, they did get ignored after they were done producing for her, but I assumed they'd come back. If they show no sign of new growth by the 1st they're getting mulched. Another friend of mine whom I visited earlier this week showed me his strawberry plants and many of them are coming back with green leaves, hence I know mine are likely caput.

The upstairs at my dad's house is coming along, a lot has been cleared out and the mini-kitchen is almost completed so we can move in come June.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Susan Mené

gardener

Posts: 601

Location: Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)

299

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Riona Abhainn wrote:Planted lettuce and spinich:
I got my lettuce and spinich planted in containers, like everything for now. Also my garlic babies sprouted, I helped my good friend who lives next door plant a garlic clove too so she can get a bulb later in the year she grew herself, she is in the infancy of learning how to garden. I planted 2 cloves, one per smallish pot, but they're big enough to grow a bulb. I'm getting to where I know enough to start helping others learn.
I think my mint is dead, as hard as that is to believe. It died off early last year, around August, and there's no sign of new growth, I've had it for a few years and divided it last year in springtime, so presumably some of it is still growing where I guerilla planted it outside my last apartment, but none is growing in the pot I have, I thought mint was nye on impossible to kill.

My friend gave me her strawberry container from last summer which fruited for her, but which I'm afraid is royally dead and is showing no signs of green leaves. I have experienced strawberries lasting a few years when happy, but apparently these aren't happy enough, they did get ignored after they were done producing for her, but I assumed they'd come back. If they show no sign of new growth by the 1st they're getting mulched. Another friend of mine whom I visited earlier this week showed me his strawberry plants and many of them are coming back with green leaves, hence I know mine are likely caput.

The upstairs at my dad's house is coming along, a lot has been cleared out and the mini-kitchen is almost completed so we can move in come June.

It's such a good feeling when we start to share what we've learned with others! Keep us posted!

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

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posted 5 months ago

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My "equinox" Experiment:
Well I couldn't do it on the exact equinox because we've had a lot of unpredictable weather lately, but today I did the best I could. I walked around in the yard where we will be living come summertime and observed what the sun was doing at various times of the day. I think when one starts to garden on a plot of land, even if its small, one can find out a lot by doing this. One would think that having lived in that house a long time in my past I'd already know exactly how things need to be done, but I wasn't paying enough attention back then. Most of my guesses based on memory proved fairly accurate, but there were a few surprises about exactly how long the sun shines in specific parts of the yard. I reckon if I calculate based on times at this time of the year, the closer to the summer solstace we are the more sun we'll have, so if there's enough at equinox then we should be solid in general. I then came home and drew a chart showing the plots I will aim for with the number of sunlight hours they get each day, the ones with longer sunlight will get the plants that need more sunlight, etc.
Next step is to go over there with my husband and the plant ID app. and have him figure out what's currently in my plots (lots of "weeds" but some will likely be useful), and then I can use a broadfork to dig old grass out and so forth before planting seeds or transplanting plants. . I'm hoping I can just plant with a bit of compost and things will grow, since this yard should have decent nutrients having never been a toxic waste sight etc. (house built in 1907.
Some things I will leave in their pots, depending on when I'm harvesting them, not transplanting annual root veg. because that would be silly, some things can't be transplanted until they're sleeping, etc.

Meanwhile I sprinkled my organic fertilizer crumbles on my perenials and a bit on my radishes and garlic.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

posted 5 months ago

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First harvest from my balcony:
So no lettuce grew in the "winter lettuce" Instead I got dead nettles (which are just starting to flower and the flowers are good for pollinators even though they are small) and chickweed (which is edible in salads or cooked.) So I harvested some chickweed and we ate it in a saute with other veggies from the store and the foodbank. It was good, the stems are kind of salty. Nomnoms. We'll do it again, maybe tomorrow or the next day, maybe in salad this time instead for variety's sake.

My broccoli bulk seeds came in the post so we're back on track for microgreens ... again. My goal is to have some every 10 days or so to add to our salads, and maybe get another staggered jar going so there's some every five days or so for us and also my father once we all live together. I'm also going to plant some so we can grow broccoli itself outside. I remember the neighbours growing broccoli once when I was in college, I remember seeing how the plant was large, but only the middles were the broccoli florettes. That means they'll likely need lots of space.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

posted 5 months ago

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Planted more:
So now I have added a big pot of carrots, a big pot of fava beans, and two smaller pots for calendula, and I guerilla planted those NW wildflower mix seeds I have around my dad's front yard, mostly in front of the roses, but a bit in patches on the edges of the grass, where my nephew will be likely to miss with the lawn mower,

Those seeds are really quite old, I acquired them in 2019 so they may not grow, we'll see, why not try.

We had some more chickweed as part of another sautey, we've got enough to add to one more dinner.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

posted 4 months ago

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Wow your plants sound happier at the home and now they have room to really grow!

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

posted 4 months ago

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I finish planting potatoes and sweet potatoes in the woods. Went to a workshop recently got a bunch of riparian buffers trees like serviceberry, bayberry, planted all around the waters. Said prayers and good willings while I put em in. Fruit tree cuttings are starting to root. I got a home for em all in the woods.

They may take couple years but it's worth it. I been using my intuition more with planting, plants just seem to go together like a puzzle, they sorta tell you where they like to be. Same with where to plant. I let my intuition guide me and I find the perfect spot.

Keep on kicking riona.

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

posted 4 months ago

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Yea my seeds are 5 years old. I haven't started them. If they don't work I'll just buy a few from the local mom and pop store.

Joylynn Hardesty

master pollinator

Posts: 5216

Location: Due to winter mortality, I stubbornly state, zone 7a Tennessee

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Instead I got dead nettles ...

Well now, dead nettle can be eaten as well. All above ground parts are safe, but the better portion is the top three inches of a stalk, while flowering. Raw it is best as a small portion in a salad. It tastes a bit musty to some folk. I fix that by putting it in spicy dishes.

'What we do now echoes in eternity.' Marcus Aurelius
How Permies Works Dr. Redhawk's Epic Soil Series

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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The plan has changed:
Well things are looking different now. Between my father's tendency to play mindgames on me, and my husband's willingness to sacrifice for the greater good, but feeling unsure that is what this is right now we're not going to be combining house with my father at his NE Portland house. My older brother and I get frustrated because its hard to tell what is my father forgetting what he said and what is him "moving the goalposts" to cause chaos. While I'm close with my father and always have been, I don't think I can handle that behaviour, which has all worsened over time. He will be renting the remodeled upstairs to someone else, I'll help him write adverts if needbe so he can find someone or someones. He'll treat them more professionally and will make the extra money he needs, and have someone around in case of emergency and know he's not alone. I will keep visiting him 1 or 2 evenings a week as per usual. It feels unkind, but I can't share a house with shananigans unless he gets "desperate" enough to be willing to behave.

That being said we'll probably still be in this apartment for another year. I'll have to make do with balcony gardening and just be glad that the maple trees were trimmed last autumn so there's a little bit more sun than last summer. I'm not jazzed about this decision, but it is the one I have made for us and I think its better than moving us up there.

When I go over to visit I'll look for my wildflowers to see if they grow, and maybe start self-seeding beneath the roses.

Re. my dead nettles, I used the last of them in a vase to be pretty, and they're drooping now, so probably too late to eat them, but I'm glad for next time to know its possible. I recently also found out they can be made into tea, perhaps something I should consider as a project in future.

Glad Rad Anthony's guerilla gardening is going great.

I planted some broccoli seeds in pots on the balcony, I use them for microgreens but want to grow some "proper" broccoli too. I hardened my alovera plant to living outside now along with my pitcher plant. I took the magnet out of the latter's pot because the leafcups are getting dry and problematic, which started actually before the hardening, I'm trying to give it extra water but not get water in side its cups, but brush the outside with weg fingers to help it. I have both of those under the roof so they don't get too wet though. I moved the magnet to my poinsetia, which I'll harden for the warm season starting in May. Doing this magnet experiment, already oncluded it isn't good for pitcher plants haha.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

Rad Anthony

Posts: 151

Location: PA

posted 4 months ago

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Oh man yea I noticed plum and raspberries don't like the magnets much. Mine started dying. Haha probably something with the poles or something.

And you know sometimes when things don't happen maybe there's something better for you and your husband in store for the future. And gives you time to prepare, save money☘️, buy materials you will need, you know.

Keep your head up, the plants need you lol.

I'm going to start moringa, some salad greens, three sisters, maters, and I have a cinnamon seed I want to start that and see what happens.

Keep on creating don't give up now.

Susan Mené

gardener

Posts: 601

Location: Suffolk County, Long Island NY, Zone: 7b (new 2023 map)

299

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It sounds like you made a hard but well-thought-out decision. Love and respect to you! Keep growing what you can where you are. To me, "homesteading in place" is just as legit as 100 acres. You WILL succeed, you WILL fail, and you WILL harvest.

I thought I'd share this thread:
https://permies.com/t/137699/Regrowing-store-produce

Regrowing scallions from grocery store produce can even be done indoors and once I got rolling, I've had an almost constant supply.

Foraging is fun too, and can boost your "harvest" without growing it yourself.

Nancy Reading

steward and tree herder

Posts: 10792

Location: Isle of Skye, Scotland. Nearly 70 inches rain a year

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Ah, I'm sorry it didn't work out. Sometimes family is harder to deal with than strangers! The latter is much easier to walk away from at least. Maybe a better situation will pop up for you too. I hope you find somewhere closer perhaps to get your fingers in the soil.
How many of your seedlings will need relocating eventually?

How Permies works: https://permies.com/wiki/34193/permies-works-links-threads
My projects on Skye: The tree field, Growing and landracing, perennial polycultures, "Don't dream it - be it! "

Riona Abhainn

master pollinator

Posts: 1171

Location: Milwaukie Oregon, USA zone 8b

132

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Rad Anthony, interesting, honestly I think I'm done experimenting with the magnet, if half of the plants will do well and half will die those aren't great odds for me, but I can see the allure for others.

Susan thank you.

Nancy, once I find a place with earth to it I need to plant my Italian plum tree and my blueberry bush, those are the biggest things I have and they're perennial so they need space ongoing.

I don't know what's next for us, but we'll see. I'm going to start another personal thread and call it part 2 since this one was headed in a direction that isn't relevant anymore.

I do Celtic, fantasy, folk and shanty singing at Renaissance faires, fantasy festivals, pirate campouts, and other events in OR and WA, USA.
RionaTheSinger on youtube

What do you have to say for yourself? Hmmm? Anything? And you call yourself a tiny ad.

Learn Permaculture through a little hard work

https://wheaton-labs.com/bootcamp