Garden update and apple tree

I have ears of corn forming!  Green beans are coming into full swing, as are the cucumbers and tomatoes.  THis is another exciting time for me – time to start feeling better by eating veggies fresh off the vine, and time to start saving money from outragious food prices. 

My birthday is coming up next week and my hope is to use birthday money to buy an apple tree.  From the reading I’ve done, a dwarf variety can be kept in a container, and considering we’re renting this house and not sure how long we’ll be here I don’t want to plant a tree that we may not be around to eat from = it can take 3-5 years for some trees to bear edible fruit.  If I get a dwarf variety that has more than one variety of apple, I should only need one tree for pollination purposes.  Or I can get two or more trees.  I have yet to see if any local nurseries carry them other than WalMart and The Andersons, but I’d rather support a locally owned private business before a big box store and I’d probably get better quality and service, also.  Trees look to be around $24-35 each, I don’t know what a container is going to run me I’ll see I guess.  Considering apples are the most expensive fruit we usually buy (aside from grapes!) I’d love to have a way to cut that cost in the fall, also.  Speaking of grapes, next year I want to get a couple grape plants to start, my husban wants some berry bushes and all of them can be kept in containers and move with us whenever we move.

I’m imagining no dependence on the local store for vegetables and fruit, at least in the summer/fall.  I’ll let you know this year how well my indoor garden works out to provide us with fresh veggies through the winter and maybe, just maybe, I can have no dependence on the local store for vegetables year-round.  Fruit, probably (unless I freeze a ton of fresh fruit during harvest season once we get fruit trees/bushes).  But we’re going to see how sustainable our little city dwelling can become because I’m getting fed up with the cost of food and this is one thing I know I can do to help recoop SOME of the cost (if only to put it in our gas tank!).  We have a nice walk-in attic with a lot of space in it for tables and lights if I end up needing to use it.  I’m hoping that with all the windows in this house (18!) I can find enough good sun spots to not need extra lighting but with the amount of veggies I want to grow, I may very well need extra lighting.

As I am forming this homesteading ministry I’ve mentioned before, I came across a thought… The word self sufficiency, to me, brings up an image of someone living life dependent only upon themselves.  I desire a self sufficient lifestyle.  Then I realised I cannot be truley self sufficient without the Lord.  I depend upon Him for so much… Maybe that term doesn’t fit into my lifestyle.  With this being a ministry I want to include the love of our Lord into everything I do.  I’m trying to write down my goals and description of what i’m trying to form, utilizing bible verses to show people how the Lord has designed us for this type of a lifestyle, and how it is pleasing in His eyes.  I’m having a lot of fun finding suitable chapters and verses in the bible that apply for examples.  I’ll share my findings one of these days, and more of my thoughts on a Christian and homesteading lifestyle.  For now though, it’s time to rest my weary eyes.  It’s been a busy past week or two and everything is starting to catch up!