At first glance a seemingly unremarkable tomato, indeed.

A closer look reveals this is in fact a symbol of simple beauty, perfect in its imperfection. It is triumph over chaos, loss, and hunger. This fragrant fruit is a gift of nourishment and second chances.

With fall coming the opportunity to focus on growing my food presents itself again. The summer harvest was affected by my lack of time, my loss of encouragement with just too much going on, and a rat infestation eradicating my new crops. Many days I wanted to be outside cleaning and prepping I was indoors, coping and writing. However, the lack of fresh easily accessible produce has become apparent to both me and my husband. We have felt it in the need for increased shopping and as a result, in our pocketbooks. However, fall in the Bay Area is kind to us and offers us the rare second chance. With that, I have begun preparations for the fall. Crops for the fall are listed below.

In theme with urban farming and second chances, I am also making plans to shift my lifestyle from income based to to time based, a concept I encountered in a class I took years ago and in the book Your Money or Your Life. It is a grand experiment where growing my own food factors in greatly. In the process of poking around for ideas I found a couple of inspiring resources, an intriguing book “Outside Lies Magic: Regaining History and Awareness in Everyday Place”, by John R. Stilgoe, where the first thing the author prompts us to do is “go outside now.” I also found a series of blog posts called Broke Guy Day Care (I love the Stuffed Animal Birthday Party). Though for parenting, the imagination of the writer inspires creativity and frugality.

Crops to begin for Sepember:

Directly sown:

Roots veggies: beets, carrots, parsnips…etc

Cool weather legumes: peas, pole beans, favas

Spinach

Garlic

To start in flats:

Leafy greens: lettuce, radicchio, chard, mustard

Cruciferous plants: broccolis, kales, cauliflower, collards

Onions

Leeks

Celery

Share on Facebook