Monday, September 14, 2009

current projects

working hard on something i love.

i've started saving and collecting organic seeds and small fruit trees (shhhh...don't tell monsanto). working on building a huge greenhouse so i can grow different varieties of bananas and other tropical fruits. already have growing: a few varieties of figs, sugar snap peas, heirloom carrots, cauliflower, rainbow chard, greens, pineapple (will be moving it to the greenhouse once it's finished) and we have a few wild persimmon trees. i have a collection of organic peach, nectarine, sapote, honeydew, cantaloupe, christmas melon, watermelon, valencia orange, red bell pepper, cranberry hibiscus and 2 types of kiwi seeds waiting to be planted when the season is right and the greenhouse is done.

my current wish list for seeds and/or trees is huge and it's full of hard to find items. if you know of a nursery in the south that has any of the following plants, or if you have seeds/plants/trees/cuttings to sell, to trade or donate please don't hesitate to contact me :) were going to southern florida (homestead area) sometime in the next month with a trailer to stock up on banana trees and several other fruit trees.

so here's the list, i keep adding more everyday:

apple
avocado (bacon)
banana (any variety)
blackberry
blueberry
cherimoya
cherry
chocolate sapote
dragon fruit (natural mystic, yellow)
dwarf date palm
figs (all varieties, especially giant ones!)
figs
and did i mention figs?
granadilla
grapes
honeyberry
katook/katuk/sweet leaf
longan
lychee
mango (any variety)
mulberry
paw paw
peanut butter fruit
pear
persimmon (any variety)
plantain (any variety)
plum
raspberry
strawberry
tangerine (any variety)

trying to find mostly dwarf sized trees for the tropical plants.

also, once we have established enough fruit bearing trees, we want to work on building a small hut and a tree house from materials around the woods here (lot's of dead wood around here) and recycled materials to have a place for conscious people to come and retreat, work on or enjoy the gardens, vacation, etc. it's a vision we're working on and we hope we can make it a reality real soon.

we have some beautiful wooded hills around here so we'd like to build a little cottage like this but on a smaller scale:


these photos were taken from:
www.simondale.net/house/

we'll have walls insulated with bales of straw, recycled rainwater collection barrels, off the grid electricity, wood burning stoves for heat...pretty much the works when it comes to sustainability.

what do you think?

4 comments:

  1. wow, do you know what? i LOVE, LOVE, LOVE your plans and i really do wish that all your dreams will manifest. i have very similar dreams and would really love to visit you one day to learn from you. and simply spend time with a like-minded being which you obviously are!
    the pictures are very inspiring and beautiful. they reminded me of pics a friend of mine made when he travelled wales in great britain and visited some eco-villages.
    what is the climate like where you live? and who do you live with? do you work? i would love to read about your life, i think it is just sooo interesting. learning about other people's life stories is just so much more fascinating than any series or whatever on tv... i love your blog!
    great list of plants by they way!
    but i think you've forgot figs, it seems...
    ;)
    hugs,
    jasmin aka violet

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  2. Hey Kelly! I just stumbled upon your blog- very nice! I see you are in Alabama now!? No more west coast for you?? Good luck with your greenhouse project, super exciting!!
    Lori

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  3. The little cottage you posted. It's just like something out of a storybook. I want to paint a picture of a little cottage like that. I think it's a great idea, living in something like that. The website you listed has some amazing photos.

    I'm from New Orleans and I'm real sure that I've seen a nursery around here. Oh wait, scratch the New Orleans thing, in Franklinton, Louisiana there are tons of nurseries. It's been a while since I've been but, my grandma lives down there. I could ask about the trees/seeds you listed. My great grandmother even has a fig tree in her backyard.

    Sending you good vibes. You've got some good plans. They're going to work out great!

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  4. Thank you for the good vibes! I'm sending them your way too! I might make a trip down to louisiana sometime in the next few months. I've never been there before!

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