We have decided to grab the eco-living by the horns!
First, let me say that Nicole and I have always had an interest in growing our own food (and flowers) as well as being at least some what eco-friendly. This basically means that our thoughts and actions focused on recycling, reusing and growing some veggies for nightly salads.
However, as soon as we moved into our new home, which so excitedly came with nearly a quarter of an acre of land, we have dove into thoughts and plans about becoming more eco-focused and self-sufficient.
Our first plan, which can't actually be started until next spring (which is good bc we need time to get this all organized!) is to break up the back yard into four different parts. Two sides will be very large gardens, the middle will be a yard (mostly for the dogs to run and play in) and the back section will be for a future children's play area. We are fortunate that our backyard doesn't have any trees except for the two that are actually on the neighbor's property that shade just enough of our property to make nice places to sit. Clearly, the great news about no trees is that plants like sun. No trees equals more sun. We, of course, plan to plant trees (plum, apple, peach and pear), but at this point the yard is a clean slate.
A very small list of the future garden plants:
- Tomatoes, carrots, spinach, beats, beans, onions, potatoes, strawberries, blackberries, raspberries, corn, etc. etc.
We also plan to grow our own Luffa sponges (yes, they are actually a plant!) and bamboo for our kids to play in, as a screen from our noisy neighbors and for garden stakes.
I've started collecting the materials for rain collection as well. We have a large roof here and a wonderful place to put three or four rain barrels. I intend to collect for use in the gardens, washing the cars and other outdoor activities. With a garden as large as we are after, we should save a lot of city water by collecting rain.
These parts of our new eco-friendly lifestyle are just beginning of our new plan (next on the list: trash reduction!)which means that there are many more posts to come referencing this topic.
Stay tuned and stay focused!
Just a word of warning: I grew up playing in bamboo/polyanna (not sure of the spelling, sorry). They are a breeding ground for bees. Not so much fun to be stung all the time. They were perfect for forts and musical instruments, though. They were terrible for bees. Just wanted to warn you before you ventured into that one.
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