Garden

Well, I have to start somewhere so I’ll just jump right in with this season. We planted 40' of okra, 40' of eggplant, and 120’ of a mix of hot peppers. We planted so many peppers because we were very successful with our pepper crop last season, so we assumed we would do well again this year. Not so much. We bombed. We experimented with laying down a ground cover this year, mainly to help our fight in the never ending battle against the weeds. First we laid out soaker hoses, then we piled dirt in nice rows over the hose, laid the plastic down, and then cut holes in the plastic to plant our crops. The only peppers we harvested were very, very mild jalapenos. The other peppers were stunted. I think they were too hot under the black plastic and never had a chance to truly become established. The eggplant and okra, on the other hand, have thrived. I’ve been picking about 1 ½ pounds of okra per day for the past several weeks. What to do with all of this okra? I’ve been pickling a good bit of it and am now prepared for the upcoming apocalypse. I’ve been trying new recipes besides fried okra...recipes to follow. And I’ve been cutting and freezing it in 1 lb. bags to be used in future gumbo recipes.

I did plant a 4’x4’ raised bed and was fairly successful. I had Thai basil and traditional Genovese basil that both did very well. My Serrano chili plant produced about a dozen peppers which found themselves mixed with the thai basil in a thai pesto (recipe). It’s amazing how much basil 1 plant can produce. Everytime I cut the plant back, it seems to double in size. I had planted a lemon-basil in the raised bed as well, but it wasn’t doing as well as the others. I transplanted it to the ground (where a pepper had died) and it has flourished (picture). I keep cutting it back and it keeps coming back stronger. This type of basil has a very strong lemon flavor and makes for a great alternative in pesto. The eggplant produced a couple of pounds. The tomatoes were a bust because I planted them too late in the season.

Oh, and we have 12 chickens in the backyard. Don't worry, I'm going to dedicate an entry entirely to our chickens and their function in our garden. Just trying to lay the ground work here.

Genesis

The succinct down and dirty of my blog:

1. Basically, I’m frustrated with the shenanigans of the local food scene in New Orleans. There are too many people with too many differing agendas. Until the day when all of the different interests can come together to form a truly unified local food movement, the message will continue to be the same: SHUT UP AND GROW.
2. Share the trials and tribulations of turning a backyard into a sustainable garden
3. Show people that urban agriculture is feasible
4. I’ve always heard that the New Orleans area has a year-round growing season. Well, let's find out
5. I love food.

Just so we’re all on the same page, I have no real experience growing vegetables. I’ve always been intrigued at the idea of growing my own vegetable garden, but until last year I never pursued this interest. I’m reading books and websites, asking questions and just trying to figure our how to grow my own food along the way. I currently live with Grant Estrade, a.k.a. "the local expert". Grant owns the house and is also the owner of Laughing Buddha Nursery in Metairie, LA. LBN is an organic gardening center, but really it’s a center for urban agriculture/homesteading. Grant and I both share the same mission of bringing the farm to the city. I’ll be talking much more about Grant and his store and the symbiotic relationship to our backyard.

I’m including this picture of our backyard so you know where we started. 

2 April 2009