How We Turned a Small City Backyard into a Productive "Bit of Earth"

For three years we lived in a 3-bedroom apartment on the fifth floor of a relatively new building in our city. I loved that apartment. Huge west facing windows with incredible views of the river and the setting sun. It was wonderful. Low maintenance, safe, cozy and modern.

But something was missing. Sure, we had a green space where the kids could play during the warm months. Heating costs were extremely low in the winter (compared to that of our previous dwelling. Can you say Polar Vortex?). Our neighbors were friendly and the building staff were awesome. No need to find a wrench to fix a busted sink. Help was a quick call away.

But collectively, our family felt a need. In the beginning, I must confess, I was grateful for a break. Hot sun, mosquitoes and an unruly compost pile became a distant memory. One of my favorite places on the planet, our local food co-op (I know, I know. I don't get out much) was less than a block away. We could access fresh fruits, vegetables and locally raised meat anytime we wanted. And we could see the local farmer's market twice per week from our windows to the south.

Yet, after three years of white walls and bird's eye views, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't shake this need. Many needs, to be exact.

I needed to feel the moist, crumbly earth slip through my fingers. I truly missed experiencing the joy of seeing that first seedling emerge from dark, rich dirt. I needed to hear my children squeal with joy at the appearance of the first fruit. Add to this the desire to be more sustainable and to feel that sense of accomplishment which comes from providing your own sustenance and we had a real recipe for change. We needed a garden and fast! It was time for us to go ground level . . . and to grab a shovel on the way down!

Amaya with our first green pepper

My last attempt at gardening was, how shall I say? Pathetic. I'm not trying to be hard on myself, but, we literally produced weeds. There were some green beans, a few pieces of lettuce and maybe a snap pea or two. I think we fed more rabbits than ourselves! But this time would be different. I could feel it.

We moved into our current home in March of this year. The house is small. The front yard is small and the backyard is . . . small. And that's alright with us! It's a perfect beginning. Learn to be faithful with the little things first, right?

When we arrived, the previous tenants had a raised garden, 4'x 8' erected on the east side of the backyard, near an alley. Matthew and I are big fans of the Square Foot Garden Method. We don't follow the method completely, but closely. We knew that we wanted raised beds. So, we kept it.

We cut the 4'x 8' box to 4'x 6' and relocated it to the immediate backyard. This box was one board tall. We did not add a second layer. Next, we added two 4'x 4' boxes, using 2" x 6" boards, stacked two boards high. We put these on the west side of the yard.

And of course the kids had to have their own miniature boxes!. A word to the wise: don't put a small box near the tomatoes!

Noah building his box

A Bit of earth, Please?

Once the boxes were built, we needed dirt. I'd considered having some hauled from a nursery, but that was too expensive. Being the benevolent in-laws that they are, my husband's parents suggested we haul sheep manure from their farm and use that instead. With their help, we moved several large feed tubs. It did the trick! Our plants couldn't be happier.

The Produce

Despite there being a thick layer of snow on the ground in March, nearly immediately after moving in, the kids and I got busy starting seeds in trays. We started tomatoes, lettuce, kale and herbs with varying degrees of success. Some things survived, others did not. And while it's sad to see plants sprout and thrive for a time only to flop over dead just before transplanting, I feel good about what we were able to save.

Starting seeds

So far, we've grown an excellent crop of kale this year (my first try with this vegetable), lettuce, onions, tall tomato plants, snap peas, spinach, broccoli, cucumber (bush and vine varieties) green beans, radish, green peppers, and strawberries. All on approximately 60 sq. feet of land! (The backyard is much bigger than that, but it's all that we used).

Tomatoes this year

Bush cucumbers

Yay Broccoli!

Kale! Love it in everything!

Green Beans! Finally more than three produced =0)

" . . . Cuz I eats me spinach!"

Benefits and Lessons Learned

• When I was a kid, my grandmother and father gardened (my mom pointed out where things should be planted but never really handled the spade - love you mom!). I don't recall ever being interested in gardening until one day my grandmother brought a bright red tomato into the kitchen and said that she'd grown it out back. I remember being surprised that she could make things grow. At the time, (being as young as I was), I thought it was some sort of magic.
  This year, our children have helped every step of the way. And in my opinion, the knowledge of how to grow, harvest and store your own food is invaluable. @kid-coder helped to construct his own box, Jonathan started and maintains the compost pile and EVERYONE helped to haul dirt/manure to fill the boxes. The children truly love picking the vegetables and bringing them to the house. If we gain nothing more than nourishment and these lessons, the experience will have been enough for me! Thanks Granny for giving me a good start!

• Savings! Oh the savings. You don't want to know how much it costs to feed a family of six. Unless you already know, trust me, you don't wanna know! I think since late spring, with the harvest of the first lettuce, spinach and kale, we've managed to save about $150 to $200 on vegetables. It feels so good to walk through the grocery store, past the fresh produce, knowing that we don't need to buy anything because it's all growing at home.

• We've learned that we have to rearrange some boxes and add more space between them. We've learned what we shouldn't plant together and what types of vegetables need soil amendments. We've learned to tolerate Benjamin Bunny and Rascal the Squirrel. We've learned to be patient. We've learned to work together as a family.

What's Next?

Well, I rather like eating fresh veggies. So, I think our new challenge is to tackle learning how to grow food indoors all year round. I've heard stories of others successes and failures. Guess we just have to go for it and see. We're thinking of constructing small grow tents in the basement.

So how about you? Do you garden outdoors? Have you tried gardening indoors? How about in the basement? I'm interested to hear your methods and any tips that you can share!

Thanks for reading! Be sure to leave a comment, we'd love to hear from you!

And remember, Steem On, Steem Strong!

Chanel