Gardening as a City Farmer

This is a confession of sorts. I think I may be like Henry David Thoreau at least in this way: I enjoy planting a garden, but am not necessarily energized to tend a garden. I like the idea of it more than the daily nurture of it.

There. I've said it. As I have been making plans for the spring, ordering seed for the garden, etc., I realized this was true. So I need to develop some habits that will help me overcome this reluctance. Because, in spite of my tendency to avoid the daily nurture of a garden, I really want to, and believe in, growing our own food here on our little plot of land in Stoughton.

I learned recently, for example, that it is illegal to raise chickens in Stoughton. Some of the city council members are re-considering this law, but right now animal husbandry in the city limits is illegal.

Nevertheless, there is a lot we can grow on our lot. We have two apple trees, some blueberry bushes (none of them super fruitful yet, but they're coming along). We have the garden, which gets better every year. We have rasberries in the back corner, which are spectacular producers.

This year, I plan to add some herb box gardens out front, expand our row crops, and maybe plant some nut trees.

I think the main thing that would inspire me the most would be to either register for Master Gardener classes, or at least find a mentor or partner to garden with.

In the meantime, we have also joined our local and somewhat new CSA just down the road from church.

This has turned out more of a "note to self" post than anything particularly interesting or profound, but I do hope it might inspire more of us to raise our own food, even small amounts, and in this way become city farmers.