Saturday, May 16, 2009

Garden: Year One

In years past, I have cavalierly planted tomatoes. Dug a hole, put up the wire cage and enjoyed a measly harvest of 2-3 tomatoes from 2 plants. Not much of a success story.

This year it's gonna be different. This is not an empty promise.

Method
Container and square-foot gardening is the way for me. This is the method that was showing up everywhere as the urban farmer method, in a window, on a balcony. It's loft hi-rise alley gardening. Here is a link to an amazing new wave of large-scale farming that may actually work and may actually be healthful and not unsimilar to this method or it's philosophies.

We have a small landing strip of grass in the back that luckily gets the full sun of day, if we were on the other side of the street, I could only imagine...the rest of our backyard is dominated my a massive two-level deck, half of which we barely step foot on. I can use a lot of the upper deck for containers and maybe even a cabana. The reason we barely ascend to the upper deck is lack of privacy, we can see the neighbors can see us, hence the cabana. So dreamy...

One of three planned beds


Money for Nothing
Much is owed to my devout return to frugality. I swear! I want affordable organics for the fam. If it turns out I can produce something edible, I will then can them, perhaps even trade or sell some of my harvest. Not only will I save on groceries, I will not have to get in my car, go to the store and wander around. I'd prefer to wander around my veggies actually.


Learning for Earning
It has been super enjoyable to bring my garden up from seed, observing every minute transformation, actively building a new skill set and so on. I feel like a scientist or sorcerer when I pour over my gardening manuals, print spreadsheets from the internet and mix soils. Vigilant against every pest, I fend them off with various potions or manual eradication via squishing.

I am totally that person that needs to make some of the mistakes herself to really understand what's going on, i.e. mixing the subsoil with the topsoil producing rock solid clay clumps - done it, not that bad. Sorta like a sub-prime brownie. I now get soil structure, drainage and the power of fertilizing. Trial and error is the essence of any good scientist paired with a drowning dose of curiosity.

Expense and Revenue
I have a rough and running tally going of the money spent and, loosely, where it's going. There exist plenty of sunk costs and disbursements to get this garden in the green. Many things will only have to be bought once or at the very least last me a decade to two decades long - providing we don't move. We bought the house big enough for a few more. We could stick around for a while:)


Initial Costs: The Seed and Incubation

I started with one 4 ft shop light (had an extry laying around) and one 72 unit seed starter with peat pots ($7.50), organic seed starter soil to fill those cups ($3.50), heating pad ($16), salsa kit with 36 units ($7.50)(kind of an extravagant purchase, not that it cost much more, but kits always jack up the price and are usually very easy to replicate on the cheap) and a few ceramics ($12) for the herbs 'cause we like to give them attractive homes. My aunt is an amazing ceramicist, wonder what she has laying around...

Expansion
After an Easter visit with my country mouse cousin, my garden had to expand. She turned me onto heirlooms and gave me some seeds. Enter another 72 unit seed starter, this time with peat capsules ($7.50) (to compare with the peat pots), a new shop light ($10.50) and new and improved home in the attic with the only well sunned window in the hizzy. We repurposed a hand-me-down desk, covered it with plastic and hung the two shoplights at varying heights. So happy!



The Land
Now the grounds needed to be planned, plotted and prepared. Upon seeing the seriousness of my efforts and not so pitiful results, I have gained the respect, support and assistance of my husband. He insisted on new wood for the boxes since he was the builder (even though orthodox frugality would have me scouring forgotten corners of the city for wood). He was wise. So, wood was bought along with a strawberry plant and 2 evergreens. He built the boxes and we hand-tilled. Back-breaking work, I tell ya, but worth it.

The Dirt
To ensure long and bountiful harvest my soil has to be top-notch. For a while, my head was spinning from the dizzying array of inorganic and organic matter that one must add to the soil in differing amounts according to each plants specific needs at ABC time by moonlight but only on this weekend in june.

It slowly started to sink in. I took notes and cross-referenced, just like I would in school. Greens need nitrogen, carrots like sandier soils, phosphorus gives maximum bloom and thusly fruit.

A dear friend rides horses competitively and for pleasure. Her barn accumulates plenty of composted manure, or black gold in gardeners currency. One day, in between rainy spells, I borrowed the mr.'s truck and rounded up all my available 5 gallon buckets (7 plus 3 3 gallon). The drive to get there was beautiful, postcard worthy, so worth the price of gas and my time (50 min drive). There was such an abundance, my 44 gallon capacity seemed paltry! The act of shoveling sh*t was even enjoyable. To the manure, I add equal parts vermiculite and peat and stir.

Onto growing monster tomatoes...upon further research, I stumbled across the secrets of growing a bumper crop of tomatoes. 1 fish head (or shrimp shells or crab shells), 2 heaping handfuls of bone meal (phosphorus)(24 lbs $37), 2 crushed aspirin (or shredded willow bark), 3-4 eggshells and 1/2 tsp. mycorrhizea powder (1 lb $13.72). It also recommended worm casings and worm tea, which I couldn't find readily (odd 'cause my garden shop spot had everything else imaginable - including hydro). In the future, I would like to have a worm hotel and generate my own worm goodies.

Finally, in deciding on a good organic, all purpose fertilizer, I was drawn to the "Fish and Poop", stinky and powerful. At $37 a gallon, I'm hoping it will last through 1, if not 2 summers. A little goes a looong way.

What can be had for FREE
I was able to accumulate many of my requirements free! With a little creativity and courage, I managed to acquire 13 5 gallon buckets from work($2.97/ea at Home Depot) that I use for composting, rain catchment and manure hauling soon to be used as veggie beds. They were headed for the trash! They regularly throw away high quality plastic containers, as do restaurants by your house, I'm sure. I even got the dishwashers to wash them:) They felt good about not throwing them away, even though it further cements my reputation as being "unique", thank-you-very-much! I transplanted seedlings into containers headed to recycling, even plucking some out of bins at the recycling center (make sure to poke holes in the bottoms), the manure, of course. I also collected this list of ingredients from my job: 13 5 gallon buckets; 3 gallon bucket of shrimp shells; 3 gallon bucket of crab shells; countless egg shells and coffee grounds; orchids, leaf lettuce, and edamame shells. My general manager even commented on how it would save on garbage costs and trash bags. Victory!



I've never had time, until now, to give a garden it's proper treatment and respect. I've long left behind my partying heyday and am thinking about the baby days. I would never have had the time to devote to gardening with the enthusiasm and care I give now. The sprouts are the first thing I want to see upon awakening and the last thin I want to see before sleep. I have a staring problem. They'll grow better under my loving gaze, right?!

Saturday, May 2, 2009

Irregular Posting

So I haven't been posting regularly. It's not that I gave up! I have been instituting cheap livin standards, up and down, that completely absorb me and leave no energy for writing, especially after spending 4 hours digging the earth. I am not inspired to type words, much less complete sentences - I just want a long hot soak!

I'm trying to integrate writing into my life gently. Part of the problem is a compulsion to research and active accomplishing, leaving little time for explanation. I sift daily through postings on other personal finance blogs I follow. Only now, have I began posting comments to participate in the larger discussion. I've stacked up some books on gardening and investing, my latest obsessions. It would be prudent to read, take notes and then get a description and analysis up, but I am just go-go, going.

I have been taking pictures of my garden experiment as it sprouts and grows and researching banks, interest rates and CD's to better serve as the recently appointed CFO of this house. I take a bow. All of our accounts are non-performing, meaning not gaining a cent, actually losing money to inflation (they didn't lose much to inflation when there wasn't any money!). I let that piss me off so I would take action and gain control of the situation. All of this is being documented in charts, graphs, diagrams, illustrations and film to share later. It also helps when making a case for certain financial allocations. I want to have plenty of information to make the decision, just like tracking my daily spending, I want to
know "where's the beef!" and where's the pork...

Ideas are coming to me all the time. They are collected on a motley assortment of paper products. Responsibility and precision are high priorities for my posts. So I want to do my best due diligence. The written expression, however, will take a some time to perfect;)

Friday, April 17, 2009

Change Can Be Overwhelming

Pioneer girl is a little shell shocked by all this transition! Trying to beat tax due dates and frost dates has got my hair in knots.

File a tax extension

This is a very simple process and allows you an extra 6 months to file. It also gives you a chance to make your IRA contributions later and still get the most tax benefits. Although, it would be nice to just get the taxes out of the way, this would give my brain more space to decide the proper investment vehicle for my savings.

Getting your spouse on board

All these changes affect my husband and our plans. I'm urged to develop a plan together that benefits us both, today and in the future. Discussing these things now and without too much emotion, ensures that our goals will be met and we can be good counsel to one another. We both have very different styles when it comes to money management. Balance and communication is essential! It forces me to be on top of my game when discussing the merits of any steps I want to take. If I can't persuade my husband with the facts, I should carefully consider my understanding.


Money has an Emotional Quotient


Money can't buy happiness, but it can make you cry! You put in valuable life energy in a work setting to obtain the resources to fund your survival, aka a paycheck. You want that money to be accessible, there when you need it most. You also want control and order over this resource. You have to be able to pay your bills and store it safely. Plus, you don't want to be obsessed with all the variables of saving and earning so you can actually enjoy the fruits of your labor. With so many of life's activities and for many, self-worth, tethered to one's earnings, our relationship with money can't be underestimated. Once we make our decision, after carefully researching all our options, I think we'll just sit tight for a while. The best situation would end in all our transactions becoming automatic i.e. bill payment, investment deposits, direct deposit and even scanning in checks, from home, to deposit.


CD's vs. MMA vs. High-Yield Checking/Savings accounts


I've found some good CD rates and even better high-yield checking accounts. Most require direct deposit (DD), virtual banking or online everything except ATM use, and 10-15 debit card transactions. As a waitress, often our checks are blank. We are paid an hourly of $2.62 and that is gobbled up in taxes. DD is not an option for me. But, I do have a small business. I need to investigate whether I can do DD through my business.


Today's Economic Climate is in Flux


Then there are things we have no control over. Who wouldn't want to take advantage of such low prices on many great stocks. Many economists would say the time to strike is now. In the words of Warren Buffet, "...be fearful when others are greedy and to be greedy only when others are fearful." But a small investment could be wiped out quickly, not strong enough to weather further shifts.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

Free Money!

Get thee to Chase National Bank and get paid!

I ran past one at Meijer's and got the scoop. Additionally, for those of you who just can't get out of bed Saturday morning they are open until 4pm and 7pm on the weekdays (probably only at in-store locations).

If you have a business, meaning you are registered and have an EIN, you can open a checking account through Chase with $500, the printed voucher and 2 pieces of ID and they will graciously deliver a $200 bonus! What?! They must have a fancy printer in the back;)

You have until April 22nd.

Disclosure: I will be opening an account and possibly closing it after any required length is fulfilled, while keeping my other biz account active. I get no perks for sending business to them, but you will!

Thanks Frugal Dad!

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Free Name Brand Aluminum Foil

Reynolds wrap is offering a rebate for up to $3.99 to purchase their 100% recyled aluminum foil roll in honor of Earth Day! Register here. Saw it on a commercial last night while washing the dishes and soiled foil...