I'm really trying to follow through with this whole "growing a farm" thing. This week a dear friend of mine gave me 21 tomato plants to take home. Most of them already have tomatoes growing! I brought them home and planted all of them. Some are in pots, and some are in a not-so-tidy row of land I cleared by hand. Add these to the two tomato plants I already have, and I have 23 tomato plants. That means a whole lotta canning at some point in my future. Feeling inspired by my gardening, I bought a small tabletop greenhouse. I still have a stack of seeds ready to sprout. I had some great success with the last set until I move the sprouted plants outside. Only one survived, and I have no earthly idea what kind of plant it is. I never thought I'd reach the point of my life when gardening is fun. But it is. And the more I learn about commercial farming (especially outside of the U.S.) the more determined I am to grow my own fruits and vegetables. In fact, if we really knew ...

I bought a miniature greenhouse yesterday. It's basically just an egg crate with a plastic cover, but I am so excited about the possibilities it presents. I've dreamed for a long, long time about growing my own food, partially because I'm paranoid about pesticides and mostly because I resent buying produce from other countries when I live around a more than 500 acre farm. I already have two tomato plants growing. They are both three feet tall. Last night, I created a chart in my journal that outlines the growing season. I then planted eggplant, corn, radishes, beans, cucumbers, artichokes, and pumpkins in my greenhouse. I will start some lettuce, broccoli, and spinach next and plan to keep them inside since the temperature will most likely not dip below 45 from now until December. My plans eventually include pomegranate, avocado, mango, and citrus trees. I keep threatening to set up a stand on the side of the road this summer. Does that mean I could call myself a farmer?