Geoff Lawton..inspires me beyond measure!!  In my opinion.. this message should be spread as fast…and as far…as possible!!  Our backyard grow project is inspired by Permaculture design..can’t wait..to get my hands on a copy of this… new DVD.  SO much to learn..I’m LOVING every minute of the process.. it’s fascinating information!  Click the giant image below..to scoop it up.. THANKS GEOFF!! 

www.permaculture.org.au

This message is incredible!!

Here’s the Winter update..in photos and video.  So many plants to play around with!!  Getting ready for Spring..by amending soil in current beds, creating more soil for future beds and selecting, starting and planting more seeds and seedlings!!!  We’re also building swales on contour.. and putting in more nitrogen fixers.

oh..and.. I did a lady bug release last night..in the dome..go get em ladies!

Have FUN..GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD!

     It’s fall…we’re running around mulching, amending beds..and planting cold crops under warm blankets of straw and Agribon!  It’s the end of our first year, growing our own food…and the beginning of a new passion and love for this work!!  There are so many benefits to …

GROWING YOUR OWN FOOD!! 

Here’s a series of photos, followed by few videos, of the same tour…showing the growing dome and gardens…SO much more to come!!

 Enjoy the following video tours…they’re already getting outdated..as things are changing rapidly around here.  Some of the above photos are newer than these videos..but at least you get the vision!

We hope…. you get inspired to grow your own food too…or maybe just start reading about it…or buying food from someone who grows their own!  We all start somewhere…I know I am…we’re all learning TOGETHER!!

FALL GARDEN TOUR “Part 1″

FALL GARDEN TOUR “Part 2″

GROWING DOME “October 2009″

HAVE FUN GROWING YOUR OWN!

As a kid…and even in my adult years… I loved mowing the grass every Saturday.

Carefully concentrating….I would mow perfectly straight lines into the lawn.  Sometimes getting creative…I would mow a zig zag pattern …like a baseball infield….taking great pride in keeping my grass nicer than my Senior Citizen neighbors.

This was my understanding of a nice yard in America….just kinda grew up doing it!  Have you ever wondered why so many people grow lawns?

Check out this great summary on the “History of Lawns” and their impact.

This doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy a grassy patch in your garden or yard….but…. there’s other options than just growing a HUGE patch of grass!!  Especially if you’re interested in growing your own food!

In my opinion that answer is….

URBAN PERMACULTURE

This method provides food to “generations” of people…whether you still own the property or not.  There’s a movement afoot…check it out!!

The two videos above…seem like a great time to me!  What an idea to get going in every city and town!!  We should get “Grow Food Party Crews” going in everywhere!!  Wouldn’t it be a blast to do homeless shelters, drug rehab centers or maybe senior centers….they might be into it!!

For those just getting into permaculture….check out the above video…it’s full of insights into getting your own yard going and then branching out from there.

…..and for those with no land, lot, or soil nearby…check into community gardening…the above video shows how people are finding unwanted areas everywhere and working together to create abundance!

For backyard permaculture designers…check out ….”Gaia’s Garden, Second Edition: A Guide To Home-Scale Permaculture“ by Toby Hemenway.

GROW YOUR OWN…or help others LEARN TO GROW THEIRS!!

EDIBLE FOOD ON THE PROPERTY.. so far.. THIS SUMMER  (2009)

Apples Trees = 6
Peach Trees = 5
Apricot = 1
Cherry = 2
Asian Pear = 3
Pomegranate = 2
Almond = 2
Fig = 4
Lemon = 1
Lime = 1
Mango = 1
Avocado = 1 
Blueberry = 5
Raspberry = 6
Strawberry = 10
Grape = 5
Gooseberry = 6
Serviceberry = 2
Wolfberry = 10
Blackberry = 5
Boysenberry = 1
Cherry Bush = 5
Currant (Red and Black) = 2
Aloe Vera = 20
Agave = 5
Prickley Pear = 1
(the trees are mostly dwarf and ultra dwarf varieties)

….and to go a long with this fruit, berry, nut tree list…..we experimenting with growing traditionals like corn, tomatoes, cucumbers, melons, potatoes, onions, garlic, broccoli, cabbage…and tons of different herbs…some fun ones for our drinks like Stevia and Tulsi and Astragalus!!

but… our staple is the green leaves, for green smoothies, like kale, collard, lettuces, chard, and so on..so we’re learing to create microclimates to attempt to allow these more heat delicate crops to grow.  We’re using arched PVC pipe with shade cloth draped over it in the summer time and construction plastic draped over it in the winter….it worked really well last winter!!  Check out the “GROW GREENS YEAR ROUND“ post…to see what I mean.

square foot gardens...blue hopi corn...and in the other box... are the brassicas..kale, cabbage, broccoli, and LOTS of swiss chard!

The white cloth is AGRIBON..covering the Brassicas from invaders

No bugs munching on these leaves...

 

more greens/flowers and herbs coming up...

Far southwest corner of our property looking back up toward the gate.

Composting operation to the right...and looking east down the backyard..you can see the vertical grow boxes.

 

The vertical gardens.. the first two beds are tomatoes..vining up yellow twine..

First Mr. Stripey coming on....

For the last vertical bed...we're experimenting with nylon netting...muskmelons of all types are just peeking up. There's a stepping stone in the middle of each section, so we can step into the box and harvest from all sides.

 

 I  Spent most of May, like many gardeners… outside…taking advantage of the awesome warming weather…..which, before I started gardening and eating live foods, I never took too much notice of the weather….except how it affected my weekend or travel etc…

Now, I’m constantly observing its rythms and natural flows…..like the sun’s ever changing trajectory in the sky, and how it affects shadows in the garden etc….and I of course check weatherbug.com quite a bit! 

You can also take the ”May” video tours of the “backyard” and “growing dome”…..check them out below…..

HAVE FUN……GROWING YOUR OWN!!

We decided a while back to convert our whole yard into an edible landscape, after seeing the Dervaes family at pathtofreedom.com and how successful they’ve been at converting their own yard into a food source…. 

So… we decided to convert our lawn sprinkler heads into drip emitters and now… instead of watering grass…we’re growing food.. with less water usage!

The video above is a tour of own backyard and sprouting room.  We’re learning as we go….and having a lot of fun! 

We’re using no chemicals.. of any kind in the growth process of the plants….and no pesticides on near or around the plants.  Instead, we’re experimenting with all sorts of organic/natural methods….like using, compost, kelp, ocean water, rock dusts, beneficial insects, and worm/compost tea. 

Also we’re using high quality seed from local growers, and using heirloom strains…from growers we find from everywhere.  We just heard of this seed company that sells only Native American seeds..here. 

We recommend growing your own food to anyone! 

It’s not only incredibly nutritious.. it’s relaxing, meditative..FUN..and connects you to your food!