Well folks, life has been a little busy the last couple of weeks, but we did want to check back in quickly to let you know that things are still proceeding. We should have a contractor by in the next week or two to place some pipes for plumbing and drainage in the back yard. After that, it should be prime time to have a long hard look at roto tilling up the back yard and laying down some weed and grass killing measures for the winter. This will consist of pulling up all of the more invasive weeds currently growing and then covering the entire yard with a layer of cardboard and newspaper to block out sunlight and air, and hopefully kill off whatever else may try to grow for a bit. Add in a little amended soil before and after that exercise, along with some deterent for the gophers and moles, and phase one should be complete (crosses fingers).
Next on the list once those first steps are taken will be some experiments with compost and with rainwater collection... more to come on that later!
For now though, in the inbetween times, here are some fun local gardens in our neighborhood, and one fantastic one we found on our trip to San Francisco last weekend!
This industrious urban farmer in our neighborhood has taken not only parts of his backyard, but has actually cultivated the median in front of his sidewalk with chard, squash, corn, and few other veggies!
And just around a few more corners in the neighborhood is our local Nieghborhood Cropshare, Vera House Community Garden
And finally, just a bit north of us, the incredible Hayes Valley Farm in San Francisco, complete with classes in sustainability, local arts and crafts, and even a solar powered cell phone and laptop charging station!
Wow! Big plans for your yard! Good luck with all of that. I've always read that the best gardens start with the best soil you can afford. Maybe for some good compost, you can connect with some chicken farmers. :)
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