So to be clear: I don't want to do the swing-for-the-fences-sleep-under-my-desk-subsist-on-Ramen-play-divorce-chicken-by-neglecting-my-family enterprises my MBA prepared me for. My objective is more along the lines of Ryan Holliday stoic writer's sense that my ideal day is one where I have a lot of autonomy and control of my time. A small business might enable that. The parameters I'm looking for in starting from "magical" and working my way backwards are a small feel-good-leaving-the-world-a-better-place scoped business. I want some fellowship and company, but not the stress of feeling people's livelihoods are dependent on the health insurance I provide employees and having tough conversations about performance. Company ideally also with other knowledgeable specialists so I am learning as much as I am teaching/vending. I anticipate I will need to run a bunch of concepts up the flag pole, prototype, see which ones get salutes. It might be the case that I am a "slash" entrepreneur for a while, with my irons in a couple fires.
One concept I'm drawn to is this idea of a Harried Potter. The mandrake radishes I started the TCP kids on at kid's 3rd birthday. The aquaponic pumpkin peas this year. The salsa garden for Lizette and banana pups. Blending a love for fantasy with a healthy dose of nerdy science and hopefully opening kid's eyes to a world of healthier more regenerative possibilities.
A next extension of this I am thinking about is the idea of a Harried Potter stand on swap meet weekends. I don't love the idea of camping the house to sell, but maybe I can find a way to leave plants out and ask for donations of what they think is fair given the unit cost? I am a little discouraged there is already a Harried Potter etsy shop, but no matter. This is so small I don't think we'll be at each other's throats. Plus she seems more interested in the pottery and I am more interested in the botany.
So swap meets are 4 times per year and my very rough sketch of what is "seasonable" by date--
December 3-4 2022 - lettuce starts, herbs, peas. Aquaponics kits?
March 4-5 2023 - lettuce, herbs, peas, tomatoes, peppers, (salsa pots), cucumbers, possibly banana pups, worm bins
June 3-4 2023 - tomatoes, salsa pots, succulents, succulents, shasta daisies, beans, winter squashes.
September 2-3 2023 - marigolds, pumpkins (jack b little), popcorn, peas, natives, chocolate daisies
(9/25/2022) I should get started on doing lettuce, herbs, peas. Taking notes on how it goes and notes from local lecturers. Maybe I can stop by the community gardens as well for fellowship or as an artist date. My hypothesis is that container gardening particularly of latino foods is going to be a point of interest.
10/10/2022: Pumpkin Hydroponic Party Favor
Daughter's bday falls in early October, just after her preschool trip to a working farm. Candy and cheap junk gifts as party favors sort of rub me the wrong way, so we combined these tiny 'ponic pumpkins with slap bracelets, pop it bracelets, stickers to put a face on your pumpkin, and a little led candle to light it up... ok, maybe some of that is junk, but junk kiddo is way more interested in too-short slinkies, cheap defective wind up toys, unworkably small bubble wands, etc.
Parts list:
- 2 packets Tom Thumb peas Baker Creek $8 with 75/pack. (probably should have done Lillian's caseload and saved $0.50 based on our too-small to be significant aquaponics grow off). Enough to give about 6 seeds/kid in a 24 pack. $0.33/unit
- 24 mini pumpkins $27. $1.12/unit
- 50 pack (extras!) 1.8" net pots $13. $0.26/unit
- 200 1" rockwool cubes (extras!). $16. $0.08/unit
- (optional) tiny plastic bags to hold the seeds
- (optinal) a tiny amount of fertilizer mix... but I'm not convinced fertilizer dramatically helps given how hard our water is. An aquaponics experiment for another day.
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