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Garden Gate:  Back To Eden- Urban Homesteading  |
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MrsHaage
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
USA
10 Posts |
 Posted - Mar 13 2021 : 12:02:21 PM
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So a lot of you know that when I had my farm a decade ago, we did a market garden... standard market rows, chickens, goats.
Now we are urban and in the home we are in I have been slowly turning our front yard into a pollinator/cottage garden with some edibles and herbs here and there, as well as my fruit trees.
Our back yard has been a source of frustration for me because we have a HUUUUUUGE red maple (that we are tapping TODAY!!) so it's really shady.
I have been spending significant time reading about and watching videos about Paul Gautschi and Back to Eden farming. I have concluded that I can do very well with this method in my mostly shady, filtered sublight back yard. We already have really excellent soil in our yard so it will just be adding to that.
We are also getting chickens this summer (not spring bc baby 8 is due at the end of May, hopefully June 1 or later though...hahaha) so we will have a whole system in place to make this a success.
What I am wondering is if any of you who are urban homesteading have incorporated this method in your gardening and what your experience has been, and any suggestions you have?
I have pretty terrible neighbours. It's a source of stress, as everything we do that is completely within the bounds of city ordinances, they call the city on us about. We breathe in their general direction and they call the city. It's ridiculous.
We are in St. Paul, MN. If you are local to me and have done this, I value your experience even more because you'll know ordinances and what I am up against.
OK thanks! Happy Saturday! Off to Fleet Farm for my sap bags!
Farmgirl #88
Tasha-Rose
Minnesota
(formerly GaiasRose)
Instagram @RadicalMothering
Radical Mothering Youtube Channel
www.Youtube.com/radicalmothering
Blog Collective
Radical-Mothering.com |
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nubidane
True Blue Farmgirl
2864 Posts
Lisa
Georgetown
OH
2864 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2021 : 1:38:53 PM
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Tasha,
Have you read Novella Carpenter's "Farm City"? I read it quite a few years ago and she even did pigs on her lot in Oakland CA.
Different climate than MN for sure, but maybe some ideas can be interchangeable.
Sorry about your neighbors. Good ones are truly a treasure.
Good luck! |
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VegiChik
True Blue Farmgirl
103 Posts
Sharon L
Gaylord
MI
USA
103 Posts |
Posted - Mar 13 2021 : 6:08:30 PM
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| Have you tried “winning” those neighbors over by offering them fresh vine-ripened tomatoes? Might work! |
Edited by - VegiChik on Mar 13 2021 6:09:41 PM |
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levisgrammy
True Blue Farmgirl
9251 Posts
Denise
Beavercreek
Ohio
USA
9251 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2021 : 04:35:35 AM
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Just use your chicken manure in a compost and use it in your garden soil. No waste. Heads up the neighbors may (probably will) complain about chicken smell.
~Denise
Sister #43~1/18/2007
"I am a bookaholic and I have no desire to be cured." 
"Home is where we find comfort, security, memories, friendship, hospitality, and above all, family. It is the place that deserves our commitment and loyalty." William J. Bennett
"Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Psalm 119:105
http://www.ladybugsandlilacs.blogspot.com/
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Ninibini
True Blue Farmgirl
7577 Posts
Nini
Pennsylvania
USA
7577 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2021 : 10:17:14 AM
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Tasha, I'm going to be honest with you. We tried this. It was pretty great - a couple of years in, AFTER the wood chips had composted. We did get growth, and I did supplement with compost, but I didn't supplement with animal manure (Mr. Gautschi does use a lot of his own chicken manure and compost), and I think it really is needed. Another issue we found was that as the woodchips composted in place, they required a lot of nitrogen in the process (or was it that they gave it off - I can't remember!), which actually harmed our plants rather than helped them. And the beds were warm, which was great, but I think perhaps TOO warm? The plants just didn't flourish nearly as much as I thought they would. The final really big issue we had was - and Lord help me, my stepdad was right! - we were overwhelmed with big carpenter ants. And when they were done with the woodchips, we had to combat them in the home (although we have a very small yard, so it makes sense that they would head to the next source of wood when the chips were done!). As I said, it took a couple of years for the chips to compost down, and once that happened, it was great. But until that happened, the whole process ended up being more of a headache for us than anything. :( BUT you may meet with more success with this than we did. My suggestion would be to try it in a small area of your yard with one garden bed before you do the whole garden, especially if you heavily rely on your garden's produce year round.
What DID work for us was very well rotted pig manure! My garden burgeoned and the plants were so big it felt like we were living in the movie, "Honey, I Shrunk The Kids" - LOL. The manure we used was a few years old from a friend who raises his livestock organically. It was amazing. We are also blessed to have stables nearby that allow the public to come and take as much of the muck they could possibly want for free - you just haul it yourself. The problem I find with that, though, is the chunks of undigested seeds, and, of course, the fact that it is pretty fresh. If I had room for a huge compost pile, that'd be great because it could break down before putting it in the garden. But I don't. I've tried adding it to the soil in the fall to have it ready for spring planting, but it just doesn't work that well for me. And then, like I said, dealing with weeds that come from the seeds in the poop - uck. I just don't have time for that. Plus my neighbors HATE me when I fertilize! LOL. It smells so bad for days. (They sure don't complain about free fresh produce, though!)
I hope you have a lot better luck with this than I did. If you do anything special that works, please let us know because we have an abundance of local tree companies who are thrilled when we take their wood chips! I know other farmgirl sisters who have had similar experiences. Hopefully they will be able to help you with their perspectives as well! I wish you the best!
Hugs -
Nini
Farmgirl Sister #1974
God gave us two hands... one to help ourselves, and one to help others!
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MrsHaage
Farmgirl in Training
10 Posts
Tasha-Rose
St. Paul
Minnesota
USA
10 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2021 : 5:46:39 PM
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@VegiChick... yeah that will never work lol. These people are very left and we are very right and they hate us because of it. We have been called every single bad thing ever, even been accused of being polygamists because we have adult size daughters.... because you know, children don't grow or something? Two summers ago we had a taser pulled on us by a lady for asking a man to not speed down the bikeway. It was a mess. There is no solving this. We have tried kindness. They aren't interested because they're all so very tolerant.
Farmgirl #88
Tasha-Rose
Minnesota
(formerly GaiasRose)
Instagram @RadicalMothering
Radical Mothering Youtube Channel
www.Youtube.com/radicalmothering
Blog Collective
Radical-Mothering.com |
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VegiChik
True Blue Farmgirl
103 Posts
Sharon L
Gaylord
MI
USA
103 Posts |
Posted - Mar 14 2021 : 7:03:06 PM
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| Whew! You ARE surrounded by challenges! Hopefully you can find a sense of peace/calm amongst your foliage, birds, bees, & butterflies. And also the knowledge that you are nurturing the earth. |
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Nancy Joplin
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Nancy
Ontario
California
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2021 : 8:47:25 PM
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Hi, Tasha!
I understand your frustration with the neighbors! We had some just like that and fortunately they moved out a few years ago! Maybe the offer of garden fresh veggies (Sharon's idea) would work. We didn't have a garden back then, but the new neighbors enjoyed our zucchini bounty last year. They even sent their young boys over to help with weeding! It's worth a try! I hope that all works out for you as your work sounds awesome!
Nancy |
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Nancy Joplin
True Blue Farmgirl
181 Posts
Nancy
Ontario
California
USA
181 Posts |
Posted - Apr 27 2021 : 8:49:39 PM
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Hi, Tasha!
I understand your frustration with the neighbors! We had some just like that and fortunately they moved out a few years ago! Maybe the offer of garden fresh veggies (Sharon's idea) would work. We didn't have a garden back then, but the new neighbors enjoyed our zucchini bounty last year. They even sent their young boys over to help with weeding! It's worth a try! I hope that all works out for you as your work sounds awesome!
OOOPPS! I didn't read down far enough! Sorry that the neighbors are such nice people! I feel for you, but keep up your awesome work! You are appreciated here!
Nancy |
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Dreamer42
True Blue Farmgirl
2682 Posts
April
Central
Oregon
USA
2682 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2021 : 6:57:35 PM
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Hang in there... hopefully the police will catch on and realize they call for every little thing and help put them in their place. We had a neighbor to a lot we owned here in town, who would call about the "weeds" overgrowing into their yard every. single. spring. It was just natural ground cover, and each year it was only maybe 5 - 8 inches long before we got to the cut. We got to the point where we would laugh when their next call would come in. Some people just have nothing better to do with their time. We also had a neighbor similar to what your describing when we lived in Portland when we were first married, I think some people just can't deal with change, even if it's outside their bubble, and feel they have to control everything. Sad. If only we spread more love then venom. What a better world this would be. I don't have any suggestions, if any sort of kindness you've extended doesn't work, perhaps fertilize their back yard for them! Ooops, did I say that outloud!?
Dreamer42
Farmgirl Sister #7038 |
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Dreamer42
True Blue Farmgirl
2682 Posts
April
Central
Oregon
USA
2682 Posts |
Posted - Apr 29 2021 : 6:58:40 PM
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P.S. your cottage garden sounds absolutely lovely!! xoxo
Dreamer42
Farmgirl Sister #7038 |
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Garden Gate: Back To Eden- Urban Homesteading |
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