2012 A Farm Odyssey

Water color on scratch board.
By Benjamin Courteau - 2011

The holiday season is a welcome break that we are always ready for a welcome break from. Now that it is over and the thousands of miles have been tread and trodden, planning for 2012 has begun in earnest. Melissa and I have no shortage of tasks to tackle. Starting a unique business while staying afloat is challenging, but I also feel that it can be very rewarding. Having recently finished our new website, I am excited to attack the next project.

One that I am very excited about, and that we will have more updates on, is our custom built greenhouse project. I have just finished the draft plans for the 10'x6' structure to be located in the 92nd Street Farm-patch. The greenhouse will feature reused windows and lumber, as well as custom stained glass windows. Major funding for the project will be through the amazing website Kickstarter.com. Keep a lookout for our updates on how you can help us build the future home for our baby veggies!

We're also in the process of seed shopping. This involves hours of pouring over sexy photos of glorious veggies and greens in a seed catalog. While I am excited about the exotic varieties of beans we're going to stick in the ground, the addition of kiwi vines to our farm is what I am looking forward to most. Ever had kiwi jam? I made a couple jars last week that is still knocking my socks off!

Perhaps the most challenging goal of 2012 is to find a suitable home in North Seattle where Melissa and I can "homestead" a bit. My lease is up in October, which seems far away, but it is never too early to try and find what we are looking for. So if anyone knows of a small rental house with a larger unshaded yard, feel free to give a heads up.

So it is time to point that nose in the direction of that grindstone and create something amazing. Keep up with  our creation here, on the website and on Facebook. It should be very interesting.

 - Ben