Persistence

   I have described some of our problems in the last few blogs and while some are being overcome others seem to crop up. I have found myself thinking at times when do we catch a break. It has seemed like a lot of our hard work has gone unrewarded thus far and it has been getting under my skin. I have never thought of myself as a quitter and few people if any would ever think that of me, yet I have certainly had some negative thoughts running through my head. I have struggled with weeds, pests and lack of production from our rabbits and my own production goals. I said in another blog if you aim at nothing you'll hit it every time and while this is true lofty goals can seem daunting when you aren't achieving them. We have certainly set some lofty goals this year and some likely will not be met this year but even as this reality sets in I hate to lose and I hate to give up.
   I have begun to think about the need for persistence in our farming venture. The dictionary defines persistence as a firm or obstinate continuance in a course of action in spite of difficulty or opposition and this is exactly the mind set I need. I walked through the garden tonight and saw plants being chewed up by various pests and then I got upset. I saw numerous squash beetles chewing through our plants and started picking them by hand and bringing them to the road to crush them. I had pulled a fair number of them from the leaves and then not satisfied turned the leaves over and searched for eggs, which upon finding I crushed with great satisfaction. I also had mixed a concoction of vinegar, epsom salts and dish washing liquid to be used as weed killer which I went around attacking the incursion of weeds with. We are committed to staying as organic as possible and so we have refused to use chemical weed treatments this also requires persistence as the organic treatment will require more frequent applications not just the one as many chemicals use. Kathy also bought an organic gardening book which I have been studying like a bible and I have found there's a lot I don't know but I am determined to learn.
  We are fortunate to have other people in our corner pushing us on and cheering for us to succeed. My mom is one of these people and she has come to the table with a visit to the vet for Chase our buck. I have made the appointment which is a week out but hopefully we'll have some answers and a plan to get him on the mend. I have also spoken to a friend about using her buck for at least a few days so we can breed to does and attempt top stay on our production goals. This isn't my first choice but I must persist in our course and do what needs to be done. This urban farming experiment isn't easy, some goals won't be achieved and some skills that we had hoped to learn probably won't be but we will be persistent. I am already planning how next year will be different and I am still grounded in this year. There are plants growing, squash and tomatoes are setting fruit, cabbage heads are forming tight looking globes, and raspberries are blooming. The potatoes are looking good as are the onions so I will focus on what is doing well and learn from what's not. Keep following us because we aren't quitters and you'll find the little farm in the city running on persistence.