It all started with this little nagging urge. A nudge in my gut that said, "Hey, Sara. Cows are cool." All of a sudden, I found myself on my local library's online catalog, reserving books on small scale farming, as well as some on going green, going organic,preserving, and gardening.
Now, remember, I wanted to learn how to focus on small scale farming, but what but what showed up at my library? Canning for a New Generation by Liana Krissoff and Grow Great Grub by Gayla Trail. Half a lifeguard shift got me through Canning's informational sections, so I (reluctantly) moved on to Grow Great Grub.
By the end of the day I was hooked. I wanted to plant and play in the dirt, start composting in my backyard, the whole deal. I started looking at burpee.com and envisioning how great food from the garden could be (mind you, I don't eat vegetables). At first I was only thinking of food to be preserved-- some raspberries and strawberries for jam, cucumbers for pickling, and tomatoes. But it quickly turned into planning my family's summer vegetable garden. My entire life, we have always had a vegetable garden. My dad was always happy to allow my brother and I to have our own little patch (3x5 or so) to grow whatever we picked out. I remember helping out at the local greenhouse, and later working with my mom in that same greenhouse where she rented a table. We would order seeds from Burpee's catalog, getting some Big Boy tomatoes, cucumbers, and delphiniums, and whatever else struck our fancy. Then we would work with Marsha (the greenhouse owner) to start the seeds, transplant them to larger and larger pots, harden them off, and finally take the plants home and get them in the ground. Unfortunately, as I got older, I lost interest in the experience. I started working on Saturday mornings (our traditional greenhouse day) and was no longer able to help out. At the same time, my mother got busier and eventually stopped going to the greenhouse. We continued to have a vegetable garden every summer, but it became my father's responsibility. All of our plants were bought at the local garden center, but they were still wonderful.
But this winter, I got that urge. I wanted it all. I missed the smell of the dirt, the soft smoothness of the seed starting mix, and the humidity of the greenhouse in the middle of February. I wanted to start from scratch again. Not only that, I wanted to follow through-- canning and preserving, and even harvesting seeds from the last of the produce.
So I jumped. I ordered a whole bunch of seeds from burpee.com, selecting only heirloom varieties so that I can harvest the seeds. I tried to get the most organic seeds I could. I bought seed starter trays. Now, here I sit, waiting for my seeds to arrive. There are just a few problems with this plan.
- I live in an apartment, with no south facing window.
- I am far too broke to buy grow lights and pay that electric bill.
- If my seeds don't germinate, I'm screwed.
- I'm still in college. Five hundred miles from home.
- Spring Break is next week, so I need the seeds to get here BEFORE I leave. Otherwise, they'll never germinate on time.
- I'm trying to grow my seeds in an apartment in Growing Zone 5, but I need them to be ready for Zone 6, a.k.a a warmer climate and earlier summer.
- Did I mention I'm 500 miles from home? I have to drive these seedlings back just in time to plant!
But, it has begun. I'm committed. And I probably should be committed to an institution. Next year, I'll do it right and raise my plants in the greenhouse, but this year? This is the year of the experiment.
But, "What did I lean today?" you might ask. Well while I was reading Green Baby by Susannah Marriott, I learned everything from the basics of organic foods to how to diaper a baby using cloth diapers. But what's stuck with me is: unplug your microwave when not in use. It's not going to save a ton of power, but, my microwave's only function is pretty much the clock. Sometimes I reheat a meal or melt some butter, but I probably only use it once a week-- tops. In the same vein, turn off your printers your computers, whatever. Don't leave stuff running. We all know not to leave the lights on, let's work to not leave anything on. It's not like I'm telling you to live off a wind-up alarm clock or hand crank flashlights... but it would save some energy.