Comments on: Gardening in the front yard

By: Ginny

Ginny — Thu, 01 Oct 2009 01:39:05 +0000

I need help turning my front yard into an edible beautiful space. Does anyone know of a person/company whom I could hire?
Thanks!

By: Mary

Mary — Sun, 28 Jun 2009 02:17:42 +0000

Hi Clarence,

We are looking forward to seeing new pictures of your projects. Your mounds sound similar to a practice common to the american indians, called “three sisters”. They would plant in a mound, corn, squash and beans. The beans would provide nitrogen to the soil because they are a legume and would also use the corn to climb up like a trellis. If you google three sisters planting, you can find some information on it. I also have a suggestion for another website you might find useful since you are further north. It is http://www.fourseasonfarm.com Elliot Coleman grows veggies in all four seasons up north. I have his book, Four Season Harvest and I’ve found it to be so useful.

Mary

By: oliver103

oliver103 — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 17:09:43 +0000

Hi, Mary,

Thanks for your comments! I checked your site out and its great. You have a lot of information everybody can use. I think I’ll be a regular visitor.
I send you and post some pictures tomorrow. My new projects this year involve taking advantage of the small planting areas I have by planting sonmthing above and below ground in the same areas. So far so good. In one mound I have tomatoes, red onions and sweet potatoes together and they are getting along just find!

Clarence

By: Mary

Mary — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 15:44:26 +0000

Clarence,

I think what you are doing in your front yard is fabulous! What a great way to provide your own food, get exercise, meet neighbors and educate people in ways they too can do this. My husband and I live in North Florida and we have been gardening for years and keeping a few chickens…which I think you could do easily! This would provide compost for your garden and eggs to your table. No rooster needed. We maintain a website http://www.yardstead.com
Would you mind emailing me some pictures and information about your projects? I’d love to post an article about it on our website. In Florida we can garden all year long and I think your yard is an inspiration.

Thanks,
Mary

By: oliver103

oliver103 — Tue, 21 Oct 2008 13:12:39 +0000

Hi Anna,

I’ve never used a greenhouse before, how big is it? E-mail me a Oliver103@verizon.net

Clarence

By: Anna Maria Dechert

Anna Maria Dechert — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 18:03:25 +0000

Dear Clarence,
I appreciate your response and hope you have a bountiful harvest all year round. Do you need a greenhouse to maintain plants over the winter?

By: oliver103

oliver103 — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 13:42:19 +0000

Hi AnnaMaria,

I like the idea of children appreciating the garden also. Its an experience that they will never forget. Its one of the reasons that I love to garden now. My front yard was a regular stop for the neighborhood kids. I even had a visit from a middle school class.

By: AnnaMaria Dechert

AnnaMaria Dechert — Thu, 16 Oct 2008 18:16:34 +0000

Congratulations! What a wonderful idea that is long overdue in the United States. I read about the transformation of your front lawn into an edible garden and wish you much success. I grew up in a Polish ethnic neighborhood of Cleveland where everyone had backyard edible gardens and there was always tasty organic food to share. My husband and I are thinking of doing the same to a new property we will be moving to in Alexandria, Virginia. We would like our children to appreciate not only the bountiful harvests but also the satisfaction of their hard work and efforts, especially in these hard economic times.

By: Misa

Misa — Fri, 22 Aug 2008 17:38:41 +0000

Next year I’ll try planting the sunflowers in a combo tin can / chickenwire setup, and then remove the chicken wire when the sunflower needs me to. The killing cuts were about 2″ above the soil – kind of un- wormlike, but what do I know?
Since it’s August, the critter problem has become one of half-eaten tomatoes left on the vine. Sadly, my bird feeders have attracted rodents and I suspect that during their down time they’re climbing around in my garden. I may go get used ferret litter and scatter that – it’s the only environmentally friendly way I can think of to get rid of the pests and have a tomato or 2 for myself.
Other than that everything’s going great. My landlord certainly doesn’t mind that he has much less lawn to mow. The 2 garden beds look like a jungle now and were very easy to put together.

By: michael eckert

michael eckert — Fri, 15 Aug 2008 04:14:42 +0000

i have my whole side yard done up in garden and like you say the traffic always slows down to admire and ask questions when i am out there how do i contact edible estates to send them my pictures from here in boise idaho on a 4 lane street people come by and ask how i do it and tell me how much work i must have put in on it. let me know how to contact them to send them pictures. thanks and keep up the awesome work.