Why are you pursuing that idealistic quest of rolling fields of green in your front yard when you could be reaping its harvest? Why are you spending your time mowing, fertilizing, aerating, de-weeding, de-mossing, and watering when you could be feeding your family? Why do you choose to accept that the norm is a manicured lawn? Do you have the nerve to be a radical, step out of the box and join a new green movement? Good for you. You too can do it!
This is how I began my journey to an edible front yard. First step was the decision to no longer be like everyone else and to move towards a new paradigm of thought. I prepared myself for the rolling of eyes of my neighbors and friends. Since my neighbor, Mary was taking on the same project there was power in numbers. We both looked like we had gone nuts. Did we care? No!
The second step was to collect cardboard. I looked for clean cardboard at work, the grocery store and even dumpster dived at the local recycling center. The cardboard was put down layer over layer overlapping to block out the sun and kill the crab grass and weeds. This was not a pretty step by any means but a necessary one. Black and white newspaper and packing paper also works well but can blow away with the slightest breeze. Watering it and soaking it did help. The key is layers. The paper goods are going to break down eventually and decompose. I did have to use some rocks to hold down some edges when the cardboard pieces were on the small and light side. This step is free which is one of my favorite words and it also helps to recycle material.
Tune into the next entry to learn how garden boxes were built frugally.
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