An Introduction

My idea of self-sufficiency has always been influenced by my grandparents. They had a nice house, on a rather large plot of land. Their garden was huge, and I always loved to go out and pop a cherry tomato off the plants. They grew a large range of vegetables as well as fruits. Fresh blueberry pancakes were always a Sunday treat when we visited. They had peach and apple trees. My grandfather was also a home vintner and grew grapes for winemaking. 

I look back very fondly on those memories and quietly desire the life I always perceived of them. A life of self-sufficient living. So many skills they had, so many things they could do. My grandmother taught me to sew and cook/bake. My grandfather was an artisan glassmaker who also did woodworking. They had a lot of what many would consider "old school skills" and I think it is from them that I gained my love of learning such things. I fully believe these are skills to pass on to others and these sorts of things should not pass by the way side.

My current situation is a bit different from my grandparent's. My house is 925 sq feet and has 3 adults, 2 kids, and a dog living here. We do have a basement that is unfinished, and half of it is for computers/bedroom. Luckily, we have a pretty decent backyard for our area, 60 x 90 ft. Half the yard is mostly shaded, the other half is full sun. 

So this year I decided to try a garden. Some small things like peppers, tomatoes, and potatoes on a small strip of the land. Our back yard is all clay, so I attempted to grow plants in grow bags. I watched a lot of gardening videos and learned a variety of things about natural fertilizers and so far so good. I am also attempting to learn as many skills as I can for self-sufficiency. I am dabbling in extracts, herbalism, food storage, etc. So I hope you all enjoy reading about my trials as they come.