Papaya

There was nothing left of the papaya a few hours later.

Starting at bottom, going clockwise: Welsummer, Ameraucana, Black Australorp, Gold Laced Wyandotte, Rhode Island Red.

Reusing fencing

Urban Ore regularly has old fencing and gates available.

I wish I had a friend with enough space to let me stockpile building materials until I get my homestead.

Urban Farm Tours in Hayward

The Institute of Urban Homesteading branched out the popular Urban Farm Tours to Hayward this fall. This was my first time attending a tour. I wanted to see how different people made use of small spaces (though some of the properties were multiple acres), and how the techniques I'd read about really looked when put into practice. Here are pictures of some of the things I wanted to remember for my future homestead:

Homemade greenhouse - wooden frame and plastic walls, plus a real glass door.

Tiny greenhouse made by stretching clear plastic over an existing frame. On the left, a raised bed delineated by extra cinder blocks.

This raised bed took advantage of old bricks.

And this one simply used stones.

Vegetables planted straight into rotting hay (had been left out in rain).

Tarp/plastic making a planter out of a shopping cart. Makes it easy to harvest tubers, and keeps highly invasive plants contained.

Using a shade cloth to grow leafy greens that can't tolerate full California sun.

C-shaped bed maximizes planting area while keeping everything within easy reach (like a keyhole bed).

Another c-shaped bed.

Failed experiment at using old rain gutters as strawberry beds. Cool idea for vertical gardening, but the high surface area allows the soil to dry out too quickly in a dry climate.

Successful trellising of tromboncino squash. These things were HUGE.

There's nothing to show scale here, but these bamboo shoots were at least 10 feet tall. Bamboo tends to be highly invasive, but it does create a great visual barrier, shade, and construction material.

This passionflower vine was growing onto a rope extending across the yard, and starting to make a living curtain. Great visual.

Fences don't have to be expensive, if you use scrap materials.

Sheer height is what's needed for keeping deer out.

A pop of color makes everything look great.

Gates can also be made from bamboo or scrap materials.

Reused outdoor sink.

Composting: top bin for depositing fresh stuff, middle bin for the hot pile in process, and bottom bin for finished black gold.

How cute is this?!

By later afternoon it was chilly and we were surprised by a drizzle. This fire felt SO nice. Even though the Trivalley is in triple digits in the summer, I get cold easily, and an outdoor fire pit would be a nice play to sit by during winters on my future homestead.

Zombie Victory Gardens

Are you prepared for the zombie apocalypse?

 

"Zombie Victory Gardens is your source for gardening guides, tips, accessories, entertainment, and more both before and after the zombie apocalypse. We’re here to make gardening easy and to give you a long term survival plan that is both feasible and fun."

They also have great posters:

More mushrooms

No idea what variety. I'll let them dry up and compost right back into the strawberry patch.

Rabbit jerky and fur

I made some rabbit jerky by dehydrating in the oven overnight. I didn't flavor it since I wanted to first test the technique, so it's pretty bland. I ate a bit but mostly I'll use this batch for dog treats.

On the plus side, it's a good way to use up the belly flaps of the rabbit, which some people love but I think are too tough.

Meanwhile, I have 4 skins that have finished drying and are ready for whenever I'll have time to work with them.

Blush tomatoes

I kept waiting for these to finish ripening, but then I realized that they don't turn red!

The flavor is disappointing -- too mild, with a lot of flesh. I won't be buying this variety again.