Kincaid Urban Farm

It’s been unusually cold at night this week and the plants are getting a hard . It’s beautiful but creates a mess in the garden.

First starts of 2022!

This patch will become I tried a new type called this year as around 10% of last years crop rotted. The first starts are always exciting

Leeks are such a winter garden treasure! These will be added to some from for a tasty sauce

The first couple years of starting a garden can be SO EXPENSIVE. We built a very cheap that saved hundreds on indoor seed starts.

Here’s what is included:
•south facing window
•portable shelves
•shower liners to wrap the “greenhouse”
•heat pads
•portable construction lights

We move the plants outside during the day once it’s warm enough so we don’t find we need a lot of supplemental lighting, but if you don’t have a south facing window you will likely need better lights.

The first are in the makeshift 😀 these are and a very fancy that a neighbor shared.

I start my seeds on heating pads because our house is old and drafty. Not all the seeds need it but it really helps with the early starts as well as and (which really don’t like cold soil).

I’ll share a picture of our very low cost homemade greenhouse later this week.

I sorted the seeds and planned this year’s garden layout this weekend. Mr Snuggles supervised, he seems to like the seeds best

This really doesn’t look like much but It might help if you’re looking at different the space in the picture is 16 by 35 of and produces enough veggies for 6+ mostly people for about half the year. The soil is a mix of and and is about three feet deep.

It’s very different from other designs I’ve seen but it looks absolutely beautiful when the plants grow in and it attracts a lot of photographers. The design really works well for a compact space

Finding for an can be really tough. We lined our sidewalk with outlined the property line with and that bear like and and have potted mixed in with the which seem to attract most of the pollinators in the city.

It has turned our yard into a bit of an but I still worry there won’t be enough and in a few years.

What do you use to pollinate your vegetables?

It’s a boring photo, but the first every year is always exciting. In I usually plant in early and they always seem to know whe it’s safe to They’re also easy to save as long as you don’t have problems with pea weevils so they’re a cheap and easy spring treasure

I always get excited to start the in January. This list is for which includes most of and the I plant and directly outside in March but if you have the space you can start them now

Time for some advice. This time of year most people start going through their to see if they need anything new for this season. Not all seeds can be saved and regrown, so if you want to same in future years it’s best to start with the right seed. These are from but the naming is pretty uniform: seed will usually produce the same plant if saved from last years plant while (F1) seed typically won’t. Other names for seed that can be saved include and
I tend to use both in my garden as I have some favorites (like the pictured here) that aren’t open pollinated, but when it’s possible I prefer to buy seeds that I only have to purchase once.

Does anyone have trouble with stealing their ? We never had problems before this year but one seems to have developed a taste for them and it ate all but three. The tree was pest free before this year so it’s pretty sad.

This is Mr. Snuggles the and (spoiler alert: the crows are not scared of him). He keeps an eye on the in between naps and entertains the neighbors who stop by the free produce bin.

are one of my favorite easy garden additions. They’re delicious and only spread when the tops are able to touch the ground and take root so they won’t take over the yard. Plus they’re delicious

We grow a lot of in the garden but the is my favorite. They’re heavy a bit like aged balsamic vinegar but also sweet and make great tomato sauce. These seeds are from but several places carry them

Kincaid Urban Farm updated their website address.

is another great affordable garden option if you live in or warmer (and there are smaller kiwis for cooler climates). You need a male and a female plant for pollination but they don’t have to be of the same type. They need a strong support and we have to cut ours back twice a year because they grow so quickly, so growing them as an is a good option. They start to produce in about three years and we get hundreds each year from our one female vine.

You can’t beat for an easy to gro affordable crop. My favorite are seedless concord and interlaced but they’re all tasty. Just look out for - they like them too!

The 2021 is slowing down and I’m starting to prepare for winter. Next year I’ll be using this page for advice from to