I love that you are turning your lawn into something useful, tasty and beautiful! Weeding is one of the most difficult tasks in a garden, and i hope your mulching and cardboard lasagna will be succesfull. I was a volunteer at Harvest for the Hungry garden in Santa Rosa, CA, and we used that method a lot, and it helped a lot, although we did a lot of weeding too. Make sure the plants you use for ground cover in some areas will be tough and beat out the weeds. My method to beat out weeds is to weed them out and put another plant where the weed was, also pull the weeds with their roots out. Good luck, I will be waiting to see how it turns out. There is nothing more rewarding than eating the fruits of your labor, and enjoying its beauty.
Oh wow this is synchronicity! We are in the planning phase of turning our front yard into a wildflower meadow for the same reasons (we don't care about our grass enough to nurture it into looking nice, and also grass lawns are food deserts for native birds and insects). We are going about it in a different way but hope to get similar results. I am going to rent a sod cutter for the open part of the yard but will have to sheet mulch around a couple trees so as not to hurt the roots. This fall I will sow wildflower and native grass seed and maybe put in some anchor plants.
I sheet mulched an area in our backyard last year, and the grass has already retaken it. I think you will have more success since you're sheet mulching your whole yard. Good luck and I can't wait to see the results!
Oh, interesting! I'll be curious how the sod cutting works out. We've sheet mulched around our raised beds with just cardboard and wood chips, and the weeds snuck back in -- I'm hoping that the thick compost layer, and all the moisture it holds, will help everything break down more effectively. Our parking strip (the section with the irises and artichokes in the photo) is going to get a big dose of wildflower seeds from Sparrowhawk Nursery this fall, with the hope that it will be a messy riot of color next spring. Also, if you're planting blue camas (like I'll be doing) as part of the mix, keep me posted -- it was a major staple crop for many Coast Salish peoples, and I'd love to gather enough to pit-roast the bulbs.
Fascinating! I am more of a non-gardener than you. Yesterday my sister gave me ONE sprig of basil and it was so much more fragrant than grocery store basil that I felt a twinge. Your house looks lovely. I would love a glimpse INSIDE of it, although I know that's outside the scope of this ongoing series...
The danger of visiting nurseries too often: ending up with 3-4 kinds of basil every year, half of which make it through until September. My approach to gardening is to add a lot of compost, try not to forget to water, and be thrilled by whatever survives.
Hello, basil is easy to propagate, like mint. Put a spring in water and it will grow roots in a week, wait another week and plant it. You will have your own basil.
Ah, yes, time...time...the time it takes to cooperate with nature; the way beauty can be haphazard; the impatience and then the satisfaction of a job well done. Congratulations on your huge efforts.
I actually think the house and yard are looking great!!!! This is what C is also feeling "The anniversary makes me feel a little resentful about the fact that, after all this time, I have still never quite settled in to my new city." I'm actually even feeling that way because of my two years in NY. I'm ready to feel settled at home again. <3
I love that you are turning your lawn into something useful, tasty and beautiful! Weeding is one of the most difficult tasks in a garden, and i hope your mulching and cardboard lasagna will be succesfull. I was a volunteer at Harvest for the Hungry garden in Santa Rosa, CA, and we used that method a lot, and it helped a lot, although we did a lot of weeding too. Make sure the plants you use for ground cover in some areas will be tough and beat out the weeds. My method to beat out weeds is to weed them out and put another plant where the weed was, also pull the weeds with their roots out. Good luck, I will be waiting to see how it turns out. There is nothing more rewarding than eating the fruits of your labor, and enjoying its beauty.
Oh wow this is synchronicity! We are in the planning phase of turning our front yard into a wildflower meadow for the same reasons (we don't care about our grass enough to nurture it into looking nice, and also grass lawns are food deserts for native birds and insects). We are going about it in a different way but hope to get similar results. I am going to rent a sod cutter for the open part of the yard but will have to sheet mulch around a couple trees so as not to hurt the roots. This fall I will sow wildflower and native grass seed and maybe put in some anchor plants.
I sheet mulched an area in our backyard last year, and the grass has already retaken it. I think you will have more success since you're sheet mulching your whole yard. Good luck and I can't wait to see the results!
Oh, interesting! I'll be curious how the sod cutting works out. We've sheet mulched around our raised beds with just cardboard and wood chips, and the weeds snuck back in -- I'm hoping that the thick compost layer, and all the moisture it holds, will help everything break down more effectively. Our parking strip (the section with the irises and artichokes in the photo) is going to get a big dose of wildflower seeds from Sparrowhawk Nursery this fall, with the hope that it will be a messy riot of color next spring. Also, if you're planting blue camas (like I'll be doing) as part of the mix, keep me posted -- it was a major staple crop for many Coast Salish peoples, and I'd love to gather enough to pit-roast the bulbs.
Oh yes! Camas is absolutely one of the things I plan to include. I will keep you posted!
Fascinating! I am more of a non-gardener than you. Yesterday my sister gave me ONE sprig of basil and it was so much more fragrant than grocery store basil that I felt a twinge. Your house looks lovely. I would love a glimpse INSIDE of it, although I know that's outside the scope of this ongoing series...
ps: I forgot to mention it was her homegrown basil -- she IS a gardener! -- but I imagine the context made it clear.
The danger of visiting nurseries too often: ending up with 3-4 kinds of basil every year, half of which make it through until September. My approach to gardening is to add a lot of compost, try not to forget to water, and be thrilled by whatever survives.
My sister has other types of basil, too. Her lemon basil wasn't ready yet!
Hello, basil is easy to propagate, like mint. Put a spring in water and it will grow roots in a week, wait another week and plant it. You will have your own basil.
Ah, yes, time...time...the time it takes to cooperate with nature; the way beauty can be haphazard; the impatience and then the satisfaction of a job well done. Congratulations on your huge efforts.
Thanks, Lois! "The way beauty can be haphazard" struck a real chord with me.
Ahem, I thought I typed "the way to beauty.." So much for fine proofreading skills!
I actually think the house and yard are looking great!!!! This is what C is also feeling "The anniversary makes me feel a little resentful about the fact that, after all this time, I have still never quite settled in to my new city." I'm actually even feeling that way because of my two years in NY. I'm ready to feel settled at home again. <3