Your Backyard Farm

Madeline from  http://madelinekelly.umwblogs.org says: 

 I have a 3.5 x 8 foot balcony to work with, not to mention the lovely New England climate, so I'm proud to report I have:

2 cucumber plants

2 cayenne pepper plants (loaded with green fruits)

3 beefsteak tomato plants (more than a dozen green whoppers so far...)

7 or so basil plants

8 or so green bean plants

about two dozen carrots (little though they may be)

about a dozen beets

3 baby catnip plants

1 mint plant

1 oregano plant

a small patch of kale

a smattering of lettuce plants

2 marigolds

2 nasturtiums

2 flat-leaf parsley plants

A few of the main challenges I face are (a) watering (because it's hard to reach some of them, and they dry out so fast), (b) pollination (the tomatoes, peppers, and beans are fine, but the cucumbers have been a real challenge -- I pollinate them myself with a small paintbrush) and (c) support for the more gangly plants -- I don't have any cages, so mostly I support the tomatoes and peppers with chopsticks and twine. The balcony railings help, too.

I've attached a few photos of the "farm." The photo that is landscape was taken out our bathroom window and shows our kitchen window on the right. That's where I do all my gardening. The other two photos (one of tomatoes, one of cukes/pepper/catnip/basil/beans) were taken from the kitchen. It's pretty handy to have the garden right next to the cooking room! Oh -- and I attached one last-minute picture of our cat, Akimbo, watching me garden. It's nice to have a garden for her to look at out the windows. (And us, too.) :)

Your Backyard Farm

Check out Allison's blog:  www.novicelife.blogspot.com - The Life of a Novice - she is talking lots about gardening failures and wins ;)

Tomato Garden: This photo was taken in June shortly after we were finally able to get in all the tomato plants. Also included in the garden is Basil and some Squash plants in the corner! My 'mater plants are doing to hot this year - next year we'll plant all corn in this garden!

Beans: I have KY Wonder [Pole] Beans growing up a light post in the back yard. Some volunteer squash plant popped up there too!

CR hen house: this is a view down one of our apple orchard aisles that shows our 'soon to be' hen house/chicken coop in the distance!

Herb Garden: this is my herb garden which sits outside my back door. It contains Dill, Lemon Balm, Tarragon, Sage, Chives, Cilantro, Oregano, Thyme and Parsley

Left Orchard: This is a view of the left side of our orchard on an early summer evening. We have 120 trees, 8 which are Pear, 6 which are Quince and the rest, apples!

Main Garden: this is a photo of our main garden which consists of carrots, all kinds of peppers, cabbage, celery, cauliflower, broccoli, sweet corn, yellow beans, and 3 varieties of pickling cucs -- most plants are of heirloom varities!

Your Backyard Farm

I thought I'd share some photos of my backyard garden.  I live in Arlington, VA, which is a close-in suburb of Washington DC.  Most of the lot sizes are very small, but I've been blessed with 3 lots in the middle of town, so I put them to good use.  I follow the square-foot gardening method (for the most part) and currently  have 8 boxes, with some extra items along the fence. These photos are a mix from various days this past spring and summer.  I hope you like them!  If you'd like to see the entire garden, I've got them in two facebook albums:
 

2011 Garden and Yard:

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.1835249316494.2107398.1098271297&l=1828dba94b&type=1

 

and

 

2011 Garden Part II

https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.2169546233708.2127251.1098271297&l=4f2abaab30&type=1

 

 

Seedlings that I started indoors and later set out into the garden

 

Asparagus emerging in early spring.

 

A view of the garden looking S - this is the most recent photo

 

A view of the garden looking NW

 

Sugar Snap Peas!

 

My son watering the blueberry bushes.

 

Blueberries!

 

 Thornless blackberries.

 

 Tomatoes in self-watering containers on the front walk. This was an experiment that worked extremely well.  

 

My daughter grazing in the garden.

 

 

Your Backyard Farm

My garden is in the south central San Joaquin Valley of California (Sunset zone 8-9) - Oildale to be exact.
I garden for pleasure and consumption.  In fact, loads of produce is consumed before it even has a chance to leave my garden gate.  Enjoying the garden is key.
You can find me out in the garden working or dancing around listening to some great local country music.  Occasionally, I'll simply put my feet up and enjoy the view.
Here's the link to my blog if you want to peek. 

http://maybellinesgarden.blogspot.com/

We here at backyard farming just love Maybelline, she always has the funniest comments, her blog is great too.  Next time I'm out in Cali, I'm going to look you up and come visit your backyard farm!

Your Backyard Farm

Check out the backyard farm of Candace from  http://thecoeurdalenecoop.blogspot.com  

 Here are couple images of our backyard farm – The 2^nd Street Chicken Ranch in Coeur d’Alene, Idaho.  We are truly “urban” on a .16 lot in downtown Coeur d’Alene. 

The garden image was a couple of weeks ago – it’s been a really wet and chilly summer here – most plants are a good 3 weeks behind normal (but great for peas and lettuce!).  

The chicken photos are from when we introduced our 4 new chicks to our 2 older hens for the first time.  I’m happy to report that everyone now lives together, happily, in one coop.

 Happy Backyard Farming!

Your Backyard Farm

 Take a look at the backyard farm of Kara from www.welloneofmyblogs.com  

She says: 

I've been in my little house for just over a year now-- first came the garden and chickens, and then bees this spring!

The "before" of my barren yard (which is actually kind of an "after" after taking down two shanties, a pigeon coop, old busted chicken run, millions of blackberry vines, and waist-high weeds)

Here's a couple of recent photos of the bigger food-producing parts of my garden.

My three fabulous chicken-ladies.

 I have a top bar hive, so things are a bit nontraditional.

Pretty much everything you can see in that last photo is food producing--  a variety of squash, amaranth, and quinoa, a fig tree in the back left, a persimmon tree dangling in the foreground (surrounded by thyme), and in the far background, a tower of beans, more amaranth, a couple of tomatoes, and a few artichokes.. even the apple tree hanging over the fence from the neighbor's yard!  Parts of the garden (seen in the other photo) are set up for modified square foot gardening, but I love the random areas that feel more decorative and still are solely food-producers.

Your Backyard Farm

Here is a little view of our little farm, we have some raised beds and some happy hens and two little helpers, we currently eat well on the 1/2 acre we have planted, we still have a couple more acres to clear, fence and plant, maybe when the little helpers are a little bigger.

Theresa & Family
Millstone NJ

http://garden-pixy.blogspot.com/

Your Backyard Farm

Rob, one of Michael's friends from work trained this bird slowly and methodically to grab a peanut right out of his hand!  Amazing!

and here is a picture from DJK

It's amazing how much you can grow in a little corner of the yard!

Your Backyard Farm

The following is from

Francisco

Staten Island, New York

  www.LettuceBeeSustainable.blogspot.com

 

 I don't quite have a farm, as I live in the heart of New York City.  I live smack in the middle of a residential neighborhood.  I live and grow vegetables, propagate lavenders and boxwoods, raise chickens and now starting a beehive on a 7,000 square foot lot.  I know that sounds crazy but its true.  My wife thinks I'm nuts, but I am trying to see if it is possible to achieve sustainability in an urban setting, while nurturing the eco system where I live, Its my own urban experiment. 

 

 The working girls.

 

 The boxwoods I propagated, lined them out in growing beds,  I have since sold all of them to friends and neighbors.

 

 A carpenter bee visiting one of my lavender.

Well, I'm inspired, how about you?

Your Backyard Farm

These are pictures from Erin, you can check out her blog at http://barefootmomof2.blogspot.com/ 

 Aren't these baby ducks the cutest?

 Just look at this glorious flock!

Your Backyard Farm

These pictures are from Mel at  polloloco-pdx.blogspot.com

I just love this picture!

Thanks for sending these pictures Mel,  your girls and garden look great!

Your Backyard Farm

Mrs. Farmer from http://stealthfarming.blogspot.com

sends us these pictures of her backyard farm. 

Of course our biggest excitement this summer has been our first ever litters of piglets:

We also raised meat ducks this year:

But the herb garden is doing great too!

 It's too early for tomato pics here in the mountains. :(

Your Backyard Farm

 Some pictures from the Brewer Family's mini-farm in Northern Idaho! Our dog, Davidson, thinks the chickens are his...

I got a good laugh out of that second picture!