July 1st

Photo update on the front yarden.

Soon to be delicious grapes. This is the only set I will get this year, but next year I hope to have many many more!
This one strawberry plant is spreading like crazy. The runners are settling in and sending out their own runners. Great groundcover, and I will have lots of strawberries next year.

One of my friends said of my front yard "Its not like your growing corn out there." Um, well, ok. This is my attempt at a three sisters guild. Corn for the beans to climb up. Beans to fix nitrogen for the corn and squash. Squash as a ground cover for the corn and beans. Knee high by fourth of July, not these babies.

These are the experimental garden berries. Mine are very small but I think thats my fault due to a late transplant. I have had to berries off the Naranjilla (top left plant). None from the wonderberry yet.

My Golden Jubilee tomato. Can't wait.

My daughter running the maze. They do this everytime I open the front door. You couldn't convince me they had more fun when it was grass because they didn't.

Green is filling in. I cut back most of the lambs ear. I need more greenery though. Always more to do isn't there.
My 8yo is planning her own birthday party and want to include a garden scavenger hunt. (her idea I swear) Her friends will have to find tomatoes, corn, Stevia, and others. I was bursting with pride and delight!

Clintonville Heros

http://www.dispatch.com/live/content/local_news/stories/2009/06/21/lawngarden.ART_ART_06-21-09_B1_M1E8A8L.html

This is a link to an article in the Columbus Dispatch. It is about the two families in Columbus that have taken on the Lawn and won. They have their Food In Front too!

So cool.

Food In Front

It all started out innocent enough. A simple gardening book from the library. Who knew it could ruin my reputation and send the neighbors into a tizzy. It began with Gaia's Garden, that led to Edible Estates, then Food not Lawns. By this time I was truly lost. No turning back, ruined and cast from normal society forever. I began making plans, they led to this.

Cardboard, bamboo stakes, pink string, flag stone, and piles of horse manure. Ahhh, good times.

This is how it looks right now. Its about half planted out.

A little path to encourage passersby to come in and take a stroll, into my evil garden TRAP!!!!

You may think that everyone is sooo excited to have this in their neighborhood. WRONG.

Inevitably someone is upset with me about my front yard Garden or yarden. I was out watering when she walked over. She lives two houses down from me, and was out mowing, weeding, and edging her lovely lawn. A little old lady that has never so much as said hi to me in the two and a half years we have been neighbors.

I can't remember the conversation exactly so I won't recreate it. These are some of the things she said to me.

Maybe you should move somewhere in the country where this wouldn't bother anybody.
What you did in the backyard was bad enough but in the front.
Why would you do this.
No one on this whole block will ever be able to sell their homes.
You have destroyed our property values.
I'm really really upset about this.
I've lived here for forty years and this is the worst thing I have EVER seen.


My response:

Ummmmmmmm
What???

I'm sorry you feel that way.
But if a house doesn't sell it won't be my fault.
Maybe I should live in the country but I don't. I live here.
I'm not going to undo this.
I want to have food for my family.
I can see your really upset about this but I don't think its as bad as you think it is.
I hope we can still be kind to each other as neighbors and decent people. (She walked away without a word after this)

My husband Nate and his friend Pete wanted to go beat her up. lol. Defend my gardening honor.

Pete was funny. He said, "Whats her problem, drug dealers don't garden, lazy jerks don't garden, criminals don't garden."

I'm remembering some things about our neighborhood. We have had seven break ins over the past little while, a woman got assaulted by somone on our street. Years ago the police had a shoot out, and swat teammed a house down the street that was dealing drugs. BUT my garden is the WORST THING she has EVER seen. I don't suppose she will want to sit down, get to know me, and learn why I'm doing this. lol

I feel sorry for her. Her worries are unfounded, and unrealistic, but they will cause her pain. I'm sorry about that. I wish I could ease her concerns.

That was my very first confrontation with someone and it was uncomfortable but I was pleased with how I held it together, remained calm, and stayed polite. I'm not looking forward to doing it again but I think I could if necessary.