Change in Appearance….

Transform….so the new front garden is beginning to take form and shape that is different from before.  The front of the house has changed many times in the last 11 years. But this is the most radical of changes. Bring a backyard garden idea to the front of the house.

Hi-Tech Tree Service was nice enough to unload about 7 yards of chips.  I only need about 2 to 3 yards, but it’s free and I’ll use it in the back garden as well. They were also nice enough to give me Oak and Redwood chips when I told them what I wanted to use it for…the walk way.  The Oak/Redwood will last longer and looks better.

Because there was so much of it in the street, I had more then one neighbor come by and ask what I was doing or had questions about the process.  One was so inspired, that he’s taking out his lawn too! See…it really does work!

I did find myself apologizing for using the wood chips instead of a nice “solid” walkway.  But I really do like the chips. How practical it will be in the winter is yet to be tested out.  Again, this is supposed to be a backyard garden..in the front. Beside…I don’t get a ton of people coming to the front door, except the daily mail delivery.

Building the Path

Last weekend the old cement path came out and I laid out the new one. We are making progress.  Some one asked me about the cost.  I did bid the project out in January because I was working at the time and didn’t think I wouldn’t be able to do it myself.  I had several companies come and the average cost was about $6,000 – $8,000 depending.  The major cost would be the new path. The average cost for a new path would be $2,000- $3,000 for cement, terra pave, or pavers.  They were all the same price give or take a few dollars. I decide to wait on that type a path and will use chip wood that I’m getting free from a tree service.  My total cost to date is $312.47.  Of course, the labor is free…with help from my ex-husband!  My goal is to keep it under a $1,000 or less.  My goal is around $600 ish. Again, I’m using all the material I have on the property and move around some of the plants I have in the front and the back garden to do the design.  At some point, I want to add some fruit trees so I have more fruit besides the grapes and strawberries. Ideally, I would like to start canning for the winter, and to drive food cost down.

I saw this video on Huffington Post called “Path to Freedom” http://huff.to/baARrE and this guy only had 1/10 of an acer in the city, yet he’s producing enough food to make a business out of it! Very impressive. He speaks about the time when every family raised a lot of their own food, vegetables, chickens, etc., we just forgot how or as I see it, we too busy, so it is easier just to go to a grocery to buy things that are already made for us.

I’ve been thinking a lot about how much we consume/buy. I happen to have the gift of helping someone who’s parents are hoarders(they just never threw anything out).  They have four houses.  Once they fill a house, they move.  She’s taking one of the houses back and asked if I could help her sort through it all. Of course I was very judgmental when I walked through, since I don’t live that way. Still…if I had to keep everything I bought, starting back in my teen when I first earned my own money, I would have more then four houses worth of stuff. I’m also reading a book called “Hooked” which is about greed, desire and the urge to consume.  Simplify …. how to simplify ones life without feeling deprived, or depriving your child.

I canceled TV when my daughter was four.  I read a article in Harvard Business Review about how Marketing uses kids to get to their parents.  Nope, they weren’t going to use my kid!! Every Christmas and Birthday I ask Mary what she wants and she always says she doesn’t know.  Last year she asked for ice skates and books. Yes, Hannah Montana slips in there because of the kids at school, but I have to say…without TV, without much computer time, etc., she doesn’t feel like she needs much. Will that change with age?  Time will tell.

So, how much do I need? 1/10 of an acer? A warm home, some clothes, a car/bike…what do I really need? Unfortunately, I need to pay a mortgage…in California, and as a single mom… I’m required to work and make a six figure salary.  I could loose the house, but I would loose the garden, the chickens, the three cats, the dog, etc., and be a the mercy of a landlord.

Simplify, slow down, find meaning, be present, help others…find peace.  How it will all work out..is still a mystery.

Yard By Yard

Ok…my disclaimer is that I’m not a writer.  I can’t spell (thank god for spell check), I write how I talk…which is not proper ‘written’ english and I’m not good at editing.  How I ever got a Masters is a mystery…really.  But on to the blog….

So, the front yard is progressing.  The walkway is almost out and I can tilt on Saturday.  The crab grass is still a problem, but I have a few ideas on how to manage it. I’m using the broken up walkway to build mounts and vegetable beds.  I also have left over Arizona flag stone (very small pieces) from another project that I will use for the raised beds.  The idea is to use all the material here on the property including plants to landscape the front before having to buy anything new.

Someone asked my why do I need more vegetables when I give most of my harvest away. The answer is a bit more complex then my friend had expected. I took my back lawn out four years ago so I could start a Kitchen Garden (veggies, flowers and herbs) and not pay a high water bill.  I have been talking about taking out the front lawn for the past two years and finally did it. I wanted more crop rotation so I can have four season and not two, which means I spend less at Wholefoods on organic produce when I’m in between seasons. I also joined a CSA (Community Supported Agriculture) because it’s locate/organic, not a chain and it’s affordable.  Not only can I buy my product there if I need it, but I can buy my meat there.  I don’t eat meat anymore but my 9 year old needs the protein until she’s at least a teenager and she’s a picky eater so lentils, beans and tofu are not on her menu yet.

So, yard by yard, I have been moving into the ‘slow movement’. But it is not just about the food I grow and the chickens I raise, but the whole life style. Last year being laid off really open my eyes to how crazy my life had become.  I was working to feed the beast ..the beast that needs to acquire more stuff, or new stuff or the latest stuff. Last year I asked myself a lot “do you really need that” or “is that a want or a need?”. Last year I acquire more friends and developed deeper relationships that I never had time to develop before. The slow movement goes beyond having a relationship to food and where it comes from…..slowing down has allowed me the time to deepen my relationship to my community, my friends and to myself.  And from this experience I’ve decided I want to live the second half of my life with meaning and purpose, not more “things”. How am I going to create that ‘slow life’?  Don’t know…it’s a mystery.  But keep reading and we’ll see if I can get there.

350 Garden Challenege

I guess I’m not much of a blogger. It’s taken me a year to get back online.  It has been a great year.  I picked up a contract in January and it ends this week.  I’m looking to get out of tech over the next year…I need to work more closely in my community.  So, in the meantime….I have taken out my front lawn.  I started in January putting cardboard down and dumping 4 yards of mulch on top. Nature does the rest. I don’t have any grass now…but do have a major problem with crab grass, nasty stuff.  Once that is under control, the front walk way comes out and let the design begin. Daily Acts (www.dailyacts.org) started a 350 Garden Challenge to see if they could get 350 lawns taken out to save water.  I was ahead of the challenge!  I took out my back lawn 4 years ago and this year the front.  I’ll keep you posted as I go.

From Lawn to Vegetable Garden