We have now lived in this rental house for a little more than one year. Since we were very close to having baby #3 when we moved, we just didn’t do much with the yard last year. However, this winter, I started reading some great permaculture books and we have some grand plans for this tiny 1/8th of an acre urban homestead of ours!

The two huge trees (to the right) in the back are tulip trees and they are seriously huge! As soon as they leaf out, this whole yard will be shaded for most of the day. I am having the tree company come out one more time to trim the trees to let in just a bit more sun. Try to imagine that triangular portion with all the vines removed and some lush moss growing and a lovely hammock hanging between those trees . . .

Back yard

With the OK from our landlord, we had a tree company come out to remove the fallen logs from the wilderness area in the back yard. It still needs a lot more work, but we are going to clear it out completely and plant some Irish Moss (stepable, but doesn’t need to be mowed) and various perennial wildflowers around the edges and hang a hammock!

Front yard

In our South-facing front yard, we are building an herb spiral out of stacked stone (pics and lots of info HERE) as well as a bean teepee and a LOT of self-watering containers for annual veggies. Since this is the front yard, it needs to be pretty. I’ll keep you posted so you can be the judge.

Our herb spiral will have lots of yummy herbs: perennial rosemary, common Thyme, oregano, Italian parsley, hardy white bunching onions, common chives, garlic chives, basil, lavendar, sage, cilantro, mammoth dill, and a frog pond at the bottom with watercress. Then I will interplant with salad greens in any available space (Swiss chard, spinach, lettuce gourmet blend, mesclun mix, and arugula). Then on the ground on the South side, I will plant beets, chamomile, cucumber, beans, and lemon cucumber.

The bean teepee is just 6-10 poles at least six feet tall gathered at the top with pole beans planted around the base. I think this will be fun since there are so many kids in our neighborhood – like a playhouse.

Our self-watering containers (I have 14 so far – and they are BIG – some as much as 21″ in diameter) will grow: five varieties of tomatoes (dwarf/patio size), sugar peas, snap peas, cucumbers (two varieties – hoping to make LOTS of lactofermented pickles!!!), snap bush beans, and more mesclun mix.

And, we will try to grow one watermelon plant (Adele’s choice at the seed store) in our alley along the East side of our house (gets some South-facing sun too).

I’m also hoping to add a bird bath in the front and back yards. Apparently, if you have a source of water available, birds won’t peck your tomatoes. Here’s hoping!

This picture below is of my greenhouse – just kidding, it’s just a window, but it’ll do. Most of my seeds are direct sow, but we did start a few tomatoes, thyme, and even some watermelon in addition to a bunch of wildflowers – just for fun. We’ll almost certainly grow our peppers and tomatoes from seedlings bought at the local nursery, but we are homeschoolers, so I thought this would be worth the effort to just see what happens. And, through the gloriously-large window, you can see the multitude of containers just waiting to supply us with bountiful harvest this year!