Yeah, so ... as it turns out, I'm a lunatic. More on that later. Well, actually it'll become apparent as you continue reading.
Every year I tackle a big project. Stupid big. Permanent injury big. 4 years ago it was throwing out/selling everything we own and redoing our house. 3 years ago it was ripping out and redoing the entire backyard. And last year it was building the Architectural Digest inspired chicken coop.
Keep in mind, I do these things myself. I don't hire someone. Because I'm cheap. And stupid. And quite frankly don't trust other people to do things the way I want them done. And I'm cheap.
And as you may have guessed, every fall when I finish up my major project I say, I AM NOT DOING THIS AGAIN! I am going to enjoy one SINGLE summer of my life!!! I'm going to lounge and drink beverages because I WANT to, not because I have to replenish electrolytes.
So this year I've decided to rip out my entire front yard, bushes, lawn and various plantings ... and put in a front yard vegetable garden.
Because I never listen to myself. As I mentioned earlier, I'm not all that smart, so clearly my judgement is not to be trusted.
This decision came in several parts. A few years ago I knew the front bushes would have to come out. They were just too big and couldn't be contained. I didn't plant em there so it's not like they had any sentimental value. Last year I noticed the grubs had won the war with my lawn. I planned to throw down some nematodes, see how it did this year and rip it up next year if I had to.
Then about a week ago the weather got really warm in Southern Ontario. Armageddon warm. So the fella and I headed outside to rip all the shrubs out.
In fact, it was warm enough that I started thinking about gardening. And vegetables. And how I'd much rather eat a carrot than a blue spruce. So while we were pulling everything out I decided to grow a few vegetables and stick them in front of my house amongst the replacement shrubs and trees.
And then I decided the replacement shrubs and trees could suck it. I'm growing vegetables! All vegetables all the time! I'm not going to try to hide them in the perennials, I'm not sneaking them in around the side of some bushes, I am overtly and proudly growing vegetables. I may even get a rocking chair and learn to whittle wood out on my porch.
I started my own vegetable garden in my parent's house when I was about 12 and have missed having one ever since moving into this house. Sadly, the only place around my house that gets sun is the front yard and it never occurred to me to, you know, rip everything out of the front yard and replace it all with vegetables. Because that's what crazy people do. Next thing you know, I'd be shoving petunias in an old toilet and entering it in the floral competition at the county fair.
Well. Turns out I'm crazy. A lunatic in fact. Because I am in fact giving my yard one summer of vegetable heaven. If my front yard vegetable garden experiment works out, I'll continue with it. If not, I'll go back to the way it was with shrubs and bushes.
Of course the trick will be to make it look good. Charming. I do have some vanity when it comes to my front yard, you know. I'm not a complete loon. The existing flower beds around the outside of the lawn will stay the same, other than the removal of a few asshead roses that die every year around June 24th and present as angry bare twigs until the next spring. Those will be pulled out.
New lawn will be put down, and all the beds around the house will be reserved for vegetables.
I don't think I've ever been so excited in my life.
Here is what we accomplished in about half a day. Not even ...
To look at a picture of the front of my house it doesn't look all that alarming, but it is well on its way to being a mess.
The grass looks like it recently underwent chemotherapy. It's of no use to anyone other than the grubs, skunks and trolls. I plan to eventually get rid of all the grass at some point, I'm not quite brave enough just yet.
Everything needed to come out.
And it did. Hey look! We have a porch! And a nice one.
Before ...
During ...
After ...
To give you a bit of perspective, this is the mess as seen from the roof.
There are a few steps left.
1. Remove all and cart away all the brush.
2. Dig up the sod and dispose of it. I'll probably throw it in the backyard for the chickens to have fun on.
3. Level out the grass area and plan the size of the beds.
4. Lay down the new sod.
5. PLANT THE VEGETABLES.
6. Sit around and wait for a few months.
7. EAT THE VEGETABLES.
So, that's the gist of the plan, give or take that's how it should all go.
I'll keep you updated on a week by week and possibly day by day basis. I was actually going to hold off on this post until the whole thing was completed, much like the chicken coop. But I decided against it for one reason and one reason alone.
I hope, from the bottom of my lunatic heart, that this post inspires you. If you have a plant you hate, a bush that does nothing but anger you, roses or trees or twigs that need constant care and attention. GET RID OF THEM. Try, even if just for this year, a front yard vegetable garden.
Look at Cubits and Twig & Tree for heirloom vegetable inspiration.
Need help starting your own seeds from scratch? Take a look here at my "Starting Seeds" post.
I'm pretty proud of myself here. I've always wanted a vegetable garden and really the only thing that was stopping me was convention. You just don't turn your front lawn into a vegetable patch. Well. Yes. If you want to, yes you do.
Because I figure, if I'm going to screw around and devote hours of attention, watering and feeding a plant in my garden, it should at least return the favour eventually, and feed me.
GO TO DAY 2 of The Front Yard Vegetable Garden
GO TO The Front Yard Vegetable Garden REVEAL
Stay tuned for the rest of this continuing saga including what vegetables I've chosen to grow in the small space I have, vegetable growing tips for YOU and the finished product with ideas on how you can incorporate vegetables into your home no matter where you live.
GG
Can't wait to see your garden, have fun.
Anna
I really want a garden in our new place, but I'll leave that to the bf -- I would kill anything I touched. I also really want a goat...
Tracie
Wow, I am totally in love with your porch! It's my dream porch, which also sports a squeaky screen door in my dream....I realize you could probably never stand for a squeaky anything, but my Grandparents had one back in the day and it conjures up very fond memories....My Grandad was the gardener in our family and had a very green thumb. I intend to use your tips and advice to grow some container veggies this year. Looking forward to that and your front yard progress!
Shauna
I'm so proud of you for doing this and no, I don't think you are a lunatic at all. Many people are growing front yard gardens nowadays (in my neighborhood anyway), it's all very sustainable. Grass does nothing but suck up lots of water - gives nothing back - pfff. We planted a tiny little vineyard in our front yard and it looks fun and awesome. We're in SoCal so low water landscapes are quite the rage here. Just add an aquaponic system to your front yard, then you might be a little nutty;)
Melissa L.
Yay you! I live in a rental, so my entire garden (flowers and vegies) is all in containers. If this were my house, GONE would be the grass, and HELLO garden! I'm recovering from breast cancer, and find my time in the dirt to be very therapeutic. Thanks for your continuing inspiration!
Karen
Melissa - And you, yours. ~ karen
Stefanie
We're going to be lopping out several monstrously overgrown cedars right in front of the house next weekend. Ours have to come out because the roots are messing with the banking on the house and the basement keeps flooding, but the front yard will look better without the beasts.
My question: We can eliminate all the above-ground stuff easily enough, but what's the best way to get rid of the root tangle? Our garden center recommended killing them off with salt, but I can't imagine anything would grow in the soil after that for quite some time. Or, do yews and blue spruces not have quite as bad a root system as cedars? We tried to dig one of ours up last fall and it literally broke the shovel...
Karen
Stefanie - These came out surprisingly easily. (I say that will all the confidence of someone who watched her boyfriend do it) They appeared to have fairly shallow roots and shockingly not all that many of them considering the size of the plants. ~ karen
m @ rambling musings
That was my question for Karen too!! What do you do with all the roots? Are you just cutting them to the ground(or just below), guaranteeing years of trimming back volunteers? Or are you ripping them out using your large and powerful super-muscles? Also am I reading correctly that it took two people half a day (8-10 person-hours) of labor to accomplish that feat? Thanks much!
Karen
It didn't take 2 people half a day to do it. I spent a couple of hours trimming back all the evergreens to make them easier to dig out and pulling out some angry rose bushes. The fella then came out for about 45 minutes or so and dug out the roots. We're fast and hard workers though so I'm not sure how long it would take if you were doing it like a sane person! ~ karen
Christina
My mom introduced me to your blog the other day and I love it! I was going through everything yesterday and you are awesomely amazing! :) I'm also from Southern Ontario and boy the weather lately is odd! I was wearing shorts last week and now I'm freezing! lol Good luck with your front yard garden! :D
Karen
Thansk Christina! And thank your mother for passing my blog along. ~ karen
Karol
God bless gardeners and farmers. So much work, and so little time to do it. Enjoy your rewards!
Julia
Look up Alys Fowler's Edible Garden series on Youtube. Not only is she the most adorable gardener ever, but she beautifully combines flowers and veg (and chickens) in her very productive garden.
Manisha
My neighbor looked at me real strange when I started planting vegetables in my front yard. Then I blogged about it and now she doesn't mind. In fact, she planted tomatoes up in her front yard last year. I think I've started a trend in this neighborhood. It took me a while to get over my own sense of craziness, but it did happen. And we're all happier this way.
Ellen Cooper-Davis
Yay! I also have a front yard vegetable garden that I started about three years ago...and because we live in a very restrictive neighborhood, looks do matter. But oh, it is pure luxury to wander out your front door when you're pondering dinner and grab a handful of kale and chard!
Sarah A.
You've definitely inspired me. I've got a side yard that is a weedy mess and would be perfect for a nice vegetable garden. In California we've had some late wet weather, so as soon as it dries up those weeds are gonners! I can't wait for tomatoes, lettuce, and peas... and now you've got me drooling!
Jenna Avery
Karen, I don't know if this would be useful to you -- I imagine you already have plans for your beds -- but I found this to be incredibly helpful when it came to put in our vegetable beds, and our veggies are amazing, so here it is, just in case: http://raisedbedkitchengardens.com/specs.html
Mickey
This is going to be awesome.... just like the back yard and the chicken coop. Enjoy your latest adventure.
Jasmine
ANY kind of front garden would be nice for me! The deer are so voracious that I even put some fake leaves into a pot and they munched/pulled them! If I tried veggies, they would wait patiently until they were looking pretty and make sure it was the night before you were having a dinner party, then they would saddle up to the salad bar.
Jeannine
I'm SO with you on the deer problem! I've donated thousands of dollars worth of plants to their daily buffet. Finally I just gave up! Any ideas on how to stave them off without odd smelling substances or prison-worthy fencing?
valerie
Since you are at the deconstructing phase I suggest adding a sprinkler system before you start your garden. It will prove invaluable in dealing with neibourhood critters (cats, skunks etc.)and you won't have to drag a hose over all the growing veggies every single day - just set the timer to come on at 2 a.m.
A wonderful idea Karen!
Karen
Good idea Valerie! Karen!
Katie B
Ooh, I am so excited to watch your vegetable progress! I am also in Hamilton and starting my first Major Vegetable experiment in our current location - backyard, though, since that's where we get the sun. Previous attempts have all been in dinky little plots carved out around basement apartments, so I can tell you if you plant your carrots in very shallow soil and fail to thin them, it is possible to grow tiny round carrot balls;) I will be checking for tips!
Clare
Hi Karen
I can't wait to see what you do with the front yard. In Sydney I lived in a neighborhood with lots of Italian families. Every inch of their yards were covered with vegetables, and we often were on the receiving end of their bounty.
I have always tried to maintain a veggie patch: there is nothing like veggies you have just picked yourself. It will be a while before I get one in here, too many other projects inside the house first!
I just dug down the side of our house, too, though. But to put in a drain to stop our basement flooding, not for gardening purposes. All that work and it looks no different! I keep looking at that dug over dirt and thinking about what I could do to make it prettier.
What plants would grow in clay soils, in full shade, though? Plus I would hate to plant anything whose roots would go into my lovely new drain. So mulch, maybe.
Plus you may be interested in reading what artist Donald Fortescue has to say about whittling. He is doing a whole series of works around the subject.
http://donaldfortescue.com/2011/08/15/day-14-why-whittle/
Kim
Can't you let the chickens in the front yard since it's fenced? I thought chickens ate all sorts of yard bugs and grubs. Maybe they can de-bug it before you get to planting. Anyway, good luck with your project, knowing you it will look so cool that everyone will want one.
Karen
Kim - My chickens happen to be illegal chickens. They aren't allowed in my town. My neighbours love them so they don't complain. So, no ... sadly I can't bring them out front for all the world and grubs to see. ~ karen