First Year Part 3: Urban Homesteading

So, I'm not quite an urban homesteader yet. Learning how to grow my own food and making clothes is definitely a good start but last year, I wanted to learn how to can and make soap.  Well, that didn't happen.  These activities are still on the list and I hope after starting a real garden this spring, I'll be able to actually grow a large enough crop to can and pickle something. I'm still planning on making soap but whether I get to it this year or not, I don't know.
Anyway, the idea of urban homesteading has been an important goal for a while. I'm all about raising my own food and using what I grow/raise to make other useful everyday products. I definitely like the idea of recycling/reusing and reducing our waste in the whole homesteader scheme of things. One of the steps I took to start this journey was starting worm bins back in 2009. The worms at the time were the perfect method for composting my vegetable and paper waste. 

My experience composting with worms made me think about learning how to compost the conventional way so last year I tried it in a bucket on my balcony. I was surprised that it actually worked.

And now that I have a yard, I'm going to try to compost outdoors on a bigger scale. :-P  My worms are still my favorite way of composting, though.  I love my worms. :-) I've seen the benefits of composting beyond the garden, too.  I've reduced my waste down where I only put out the garbage for pick-up every other week now. I'm hoping to reduce it even more if I can.

Looking forward to the new year, I have much to do if I am to graduate into full urban homesteadingness. Canning and pickling is on the top of the list.  Learning how to save seeds and propagate plants, which I feel is important for future self-sufficiency is top on the list, too.  This spring, I'm planning on growing mostly heirloom varieties of veggies and flowers in order to collect seeds to share and use for the following spring garden. Right now, I've been able to propagate basil plants successfully and mint.  For a while my mint plant was touch and go but since I've brought them indoors, my basil and mint plants are thriving.

I've used cuttings from my mint plant to start more plants for the spring...

Mint

I definitely know my chive seeds were viable...

I don't know if there were roots still left in the chive planter but these thicker, grass-like leaves are popping up.  I guess I'll find out in a couple of months if they are just weeds/grass or garlic chives.

My future urban homesteading goals also include bee keeping, chicken raising and beer brewing.  The beer brewing may actually happen before the bee keeping or chickens and none of the above will probably happen this year but I think if the civilized world should end, I'll have covered the 4 basic food groups for survival: vegetables/fruits, proteins, sugar and booze.