Indoor Garden Update -Squash and Watermelons!

To tell you the truth, I wasn't sure how well this experiment would go... But so far, so good! Just look at the little watermelon that's growing in my window! Actually, the plant has produced a number of them now and is almost always covered in flowers.

And yes, even the Butternut Squash is doing relatively well. Though so far no fruit has been produced. Frankly, I'm just happy to see that the plants haven't just withered away to nothing. They're actually doing really well! So time will tell whether or not any of them produce. Regardless, it thrills me to see plants you'd think of as outdoor-only, actually doing well indoors.

Eventually this knowledge will come in handy when I either build a four-season greenhouse, or find another way to grow plants over the winter (grow lights and large pots perhaps?).


I think it's an important thing to learn....especially now given how bad food prices are getting.

The Hunt for Land...

Recently I started "browsing" through the "Land for Sale" ads. Just to see what's out there. There's a really wide variety of land here. A variety of soil types, trees, and micro-climates. Something to suit pretty much anyone! There are tons of books and online articles on the subject, and I'd recommend anyone thinking of investing in land, to start doing some serious reading!

So, what do you do when you're looking for land to live on? I guess it depends on your end goals... a Cottage get away, a Bug Out Location, a Hobby farm or Homestead. In my case, I have a rather particular Wish List.

1. Water. There's got to be easily accessible sources of water. A creek, a river, a pond or small lake. Wells are great, but Wells can run dry. Having another source of water as a backup is important. Especially if you have animals to worry about, as well as yourself.

2. Size. For me, anything smaller than 10 acres is not big enough. 50 would be ideal, but I'm willing to go smaller if I have to. Why? I need the buffer between me and neighboring properties for privacy. So raising animals isn't an issue among other things. Nobody wants to have to deal with neighbors complaining about the sounds and smells your animals make on a daily basis. And frankly, I don't need to have people watch me go about my life. I've had enough of that growing up in the city where everyone's in your business no matter what.

3.Not Visible From/Near a major Highway. Very important to me is not to have the property right off of a highway that gets a lot of traffic. Firstly, for safety of my animals and myself from fast moving vehicles. Secondly, security from Trespassers. Thirdly, noise. I mean, c'mon... you move to the country for peace and quiet, not to listen to the constant "Vrrroommm~whoosh" of trucks and cars blowing by at all hours. Not to mention the annoying flash of headlights in your windows all night long.

4. Varied Topography. I'd like to have a piece of property that's got a little of everything. A nice amount of mature trees, either actual forest or a large woodlot or two. With a nice mix of softwoods and hardwoods throughout. Open areas, either natural meadows or cleared areas that have been allowed to go fallow for a long while. And something that's a little bit rolling and not completely flat.

5.Full Ownership, of Timber Rights/Mineral Rights. Including NO Right-of-Ways or Hydro/Gas/Roadway Easements.  I do not want to buy land unless I get everything on it. Period. I don't want Big Brother suddenly showing up and clear-cutting my land or telling me I have no rights to the trees on my property. Or turning it into a giant hole if they suddenly decide there's some kind of metal or mineral under it they want. Or cutting huge lines through it to put down gas pipelines, hydro towers, or god forbid a road.

My ideal piece of land would be something10 acres or larger, near a four-season Town, but not IN it. Where I have access to main roadways but not next to or within sight of it. It would have a small creek or river, running into a small pond or lake with fish in it, and a mix of forest/woodlots and meadows/open areas where goat pasture and gardens could be put in without having to cut down too many trees. It would also have a rise or ridge, where the cabin could be built overlooking the area. And as a bonus, some pre-existing architecture would be nice too... like a small barn, sheds, small greenhouse, or even a travel-tailor/camper would be nice.

Now, if I could just find something like that, that doesn't cost so much it'd take the next 20 years to save up for it... that would be nice. *laughs*

Indoor Garden Update

Wow, it's been a while since I was able to update this blog.

Well, so far the Autumn crop of Lettuce I planted is doing well. As are the green Onions I started.

But most surprisingly, it's the Watermelon and Butternut Squash that are doing really well! The Watermelon in particular has been absolutely covered in flowers (both male and female).

I really wasn't sure how the Butternut Squash would behave when grown indoors, but so far I've been pleasantly surprised. I had a brief scare with spider-mites but cutting off the effected leaves right away seems to have solved the issue. The oldest of the vines is covered in flower-buds, including a pretty obvious Female (the swelling under the bud itself looks like a squash in super-miniature!). It's fascinating watching how things are progressing...

Things here have been crazy busy the last month, so unfortunately I haven't been able to photograph the plants, but I will try to get a few shots in the next week or so to share.


Here's hoping things continue to do well!