The Gothic Homesteader

It came today! All 5 foot 3 inches, by 2 ft, by 1 ft of growing wonder!  My very own apartment sized greenhouse, which I bought for all of  $31.48  from  Amazon.Com .  It paired with my sunny picture window and a plant light, and we should be growing food in no time.  Now I must be about gathering pots, seeds, and get to planning on what we will be growing. The first greenhouses built in Roman times, were very similar to cold frames today.  It was simply a frame covered with the oiled cloth known as specularia or sheets of selenite. Cucumbers, the main food grown this way, were wheeled into the sun by day, and under the covers by night.  Technology continued to change and grow until the 1500's when a Dutchman invented the first practical greenhouse, which continues to advance change to this day!  Who knows what will come next? Greenhouses are such a blessing, especially being Gothic Apartment Homesteader.  And believe it or not, greenhouses, or "conservatories"

I found seeds!  Walked into  Whole Foods  in Tempe, AZ, and what stands before me in the seed section but a display by  Native Seed/Search !  At last I live where my favorite seed company actually sells in store.  Now mind you certain plants, I am looking for they don't have, and certain seeds from Native Seed/Search I will have to order as not sold in store, like Navajo Blue Corn.  But a lot I can get right near by.  So happy! Why am I so big on Native Seed/Search?  For many reasons, among them the fact that they are gathering and protecting Heritage Seeds, Native to the Southwest.  These seeds are drought hardy, desert tested, and very hard to kill off.    Another reason is as they say @  NativeSeeds.Org , " We are a nonprofit organization working to strengthen food security in the Greater Southwest by conserving our region's unique crop diversity and teaching others to do the same ."  This is something I can get behind. ~ Morria

So I am beginning to Gothic Apartment Homestead again in earnest, in part to go along with my natural health course I am doing, and in part to start putting down roots, so to speak, in my area of future work... Problem?  I live in a second story apartment with a small open balcony that is also the walkway to stairs for my 3 neighboring apartments.  Maybe 12 inch pots? So, this Desert Gypsy Goth is turning over a new leaf, literally.  We were able to make it from Farmington, NM with 3 plants: my husbands Cactus, my Clover, and our Mexican Heather plants.  I have scouted out a metal shelving system at walmart that should go well in our bedroom where the plants can get sunlight, and I am also hunting for an additional plant light.  I found some awesome AZ made recycled wine bottle planters ( refreshglass.com ) which also fits in both the bedroom and living room windows, just perfect for herbs. Now the hard part, what to GROW? ~ Morria