Success!

Today was a big day for balcony farming. My first salad!

Bikes

Until I get a new car, I'm riding my bicycle. Here is an artistic rendering of what that looks like.

R.I.P...Car

Came out of my apartment Monday morning and my car was gone. Miss you, car. We had some nice carrot-eating times.

Balcony Farming

I've been trying to grow some vegetables on the balcony. I started with lettuce and spinach, 2 cool weather crops perfect for a mild California winter.

Here are my expenses so far:

-Planters - $7.00

The 7 bucks was for a plastic planter intended for home storage. I also got two free wooden pallets that the California Republican Party was giving away on Craigslist. (I also got to see where they keep their giant "Bob Dole Forever" signs.)

-Dirt - Free!

I got some off a "Free Dirt Alert" on CL. I stole the rest from the vacant lot down the block.

-Compost - Free!

The compost isn't finished, but the coffee grinds, shredded newspaper, pine needles, and dead leaves were all things I already had around the house.

-Compost Bin #1 - Free!

Thanks again craigslist.

-Compost Bin #2 when 1st one filled up - $6.00

This stylish red and green bin was on sale at a hardware store in early January.

-3 seed varieties (lettuce, spinach & mixed greens) - $8.00

-Plastic shovel and pails originally intended for a baby - Free!

Thanks goes to my friend Kathleen on this one for this useful housewarming gift.

GRAND TOTAL: $21.00

To put this in perspective, $21.00 will buy 9 bags of spinach at Trader Joes.

TOTAL CROP YIELD SO FAR: 0.0 heads of lettuce/spinach

Hopefully, I can rectify this. Even so, I don't think I'll be beating the farmer that supplies Trader Joes on price. I might beat him on convenience and taste, if I can pick my salad fresh from the balcony in a month or two.

Back at 20

I'm back down to 20 hours a week. But I'm doing better than:

-Chrysler
-Circuit City
-Rite Aid
-Sbarro Pizza
-Linens 'n Things
-Wall Street
-All Banks