November, a month of gratitude!

The rainy season is coming to an end and the weather isn't so miserably hot. I'm thankful for the rain we do get! I've got random buckets and containers set out in prime locations (the spaces that tend to flood due to the lack of gutters I've previously mentioned) and have begun being more deliberate with my planting. I'm not going to lie..at first I went kinda crazy and just threw what seeds I had into the ground to see what grew. I had the space and desperately wanted a big beautiful garden to play in. That was foolish, but it was a really good learning experience.

I grew three very tiny green beans, a watermelon the size of a golf ball, and a pineapple. I also grew herbs, lettuce, and spinach. Clearly that's enough to feed a family of four, right? I kid! I tried Seedsheets, raised beds, regular on the ground beds made from random material we found in our yard, a hydroponic grower and a variety of planters inside and out. My pineapple was the best pineapple I've ever had. I was too rough on the lettuce and spinach at first. I'm trying them again now that it's cooler. It's going better this time around. The herbs were a success both inside and out. I'm now in the process of deciding if I like them better hung to dry, or dehydrated. I think the dehydrator helps them keep their color, but I like that hanging them to dry doesn't take any energy or electric. I still have to taste test to see which I prefer personally. I'll keep you posted on that.

I like the idea of #Seedsheets. Go check out their website if you've never heard of them. It was much too hot to leave them outside so I tried to be clever and let them grow in their containers in my bathtub. It was next to a window. I watered them regularly. The kids could watch them grow. It may have just been luck of the draw but my plants didn't grow into anything hardy or worth writing home about..hence my three tiny green beans. I would be willing to try them again if they were on sale, and if I planned what I was going to grow and when I was going to plant it better. I was still in my "HOORAY FOR A YARD" mode when I purchased them.

The raised beds and beds made from found materials are going well. I have photos on my Instagram (#OneAcreLiving) if you want to see them. Nothing beats the hydroponic grower though. I love that thing!

I'm thankful the first few months were such a challenge. I'm much more mindful and thoughtful of what I'm planting, why I'm planting it, and where I'm planting it. I've started connecting with other likeminded people who are on a quest to live #sustainable and #selfreliant too. If you're one of them let's be friends! I'm also working on making our homestead profitable. I'm not quite sure what that is going to look like yet, but I'm exciting to see where it goes!

I'm grateful for this adventure!