Fixing up a 4BR suburban split level on a quarter acre. Working as a prep cook and training as a cheesemonger. Teenaged daughters.

I got started as a perennial gardener, mostly in small urban gardens. Then I got interested in kitchen gardening, and in seeing how much food I could grow in a 10×40 city backyard. As I learned more about peak oil and our uncertain economic future, I got more interested in preparedness and serious food production and preserving.

In 2009, we moved in with my mother to care for her and her overgrown suburban yard. While I am still very interested in kitchen gardening, it looks like I am seriously back in the perennial gardening arena, as I work to get control of mom’s overgrown beds.

We thought we would be here only a short time, but it now looks like we will keep the house, so I am giving deep thought to how I want this, my childhood home, to look as my adult home. My mother established lots of plants and bulbs, but lost control as she got older – lots of work to do removing shrubs and invasives. I am working on cataloging the plantings, propagating what I want more of, and developing themes in various parts of the yard. I do know that I plan to trade out some of the plantings for edible landscaping – fruit trees and berry bushes, herbs and vegetables,

I do a lot of containerized and raised bed veggie gardening, since I haven’t had much time to improve the thin clay soil. I like perennials, herbs, veggies, fruit. We worm compost, winter sow, use recycled containers. I like the Cottage Garden or Potager styles. Working on water barrels, more self-watering containers, drip irrigation, establishing leaf and general composting pile, finding/swapping fast-growing annuals to fill in places where we removed overgrown shrubs and out-of-control invasives.

CONTAINERS: If it holds dirt, I turn it into a planter. I get large styrofoam boxes from fish markets, use to ship frozen fish. I drill holes in the FISHBOXES, and use them to plant greens and herbs. I put the boxes up on benches, to reduce access by critters, and keep neighbor cats from peeing on them. I also fill plastic bags in milk crates, laundry baskets, and bushel baskets. Old garden carts, washtubs, trash cans. Eventually, I hope to install raised beds and cold frames to replace some of those containers.

I WINTERSOW – planting hardy seeds in plastic milk jugs in late winter. I cut the jug almost in half, melt holes in the bottom for drainage, put in an inch or so of seed starting mix, sprinkle seeds, and spray with water to saturate. Label an date. Set outside in the sun. I put them in shallow cadrboard boxes from the grocery store. The jug raises the temperature a bit, keeps the seeds moist, and is easy to recycle when I have potted on the sprouts. I sowed 14 jugs in winter 2011, all but one sprouted, and that odd one was old seeds.

I enjoy worm composting, and give WORM COMPOSTING workshops for children, youth, and adults. I plan to start a kitchen gardening group in my neighborhood.

GARDEN DREAM: I am a cook and I would like an urban farm. Ideally, I want a larger building I convert to living, working, and both indoor and outdoor gardens. Or maybe I find space in community gardens or rented garden co-op. I would like space to invite people to live with me, to hold workshops and community events, to warehouse my supplies, and leave room for workrooms, a large kitchen, and a library. I now have this suburban house, which I plan to keep, but I have not given up looking for an urban structure. I am also considering buying or leasing land and starting my own community garden with low-cost rental plots – one day.

RECENT GARDEN HISTORY
2009 – Moved to suburban childhood home to care for mother. Initial focus on the inside of the house.
2010 – Cleared some shrubs, started clearing hoarded junk from yard.
2011 – More clearing, backyard container garden, cataloging plants, added a few perennials, huge house insulation project.
2012 – Renovated front yard beds to improve curb appeal. Sewer excavation and street repaving by township. Moved existing plants into better positions. Developed better plans. Started full-time job and had to reconsider gardening priorities.

FUTURE
2013 – Start a neighborhood garden club. Add raised vegetable bed. Backyard focus. Start saving money to remove elderly Norway Maple in front yard. Research dwarf fruit trees. Tear down shed. Remove trash trees and shrubs in backyard. Better rainwater storage and compost system.

2014 – Contractor to take down maple and remove aged fencerow shrubs and invasives. Plan full-sun front yard. Expand raised beds. Espalier trees along fence?

2015 – Replace garage door with French doors – add awning and/or pergola. Install permeable paving in driveway. Consider terracing the slope net to the driveway as an herb garden.