We’ve had our share of neighbors – good and bad – over the years.  After all, we’ve lived in this house for a long time.  Americans as a rule aren’t known for staying in one place for very long.  And this is (laughingly) what many call a “starter” neighborhood -  meaning that the homes are [...]

Filed under: Urban Gardening, neighbors | No Comments »

The best gardens are gardens that look good all year long, even without flowers, even covered with snow.

Filed under: Planning a Garden, Urban Gardening | No Comments »

When we first moved to Winston Salem, we rented a house two blocks from here.  We wanted to explore the city for a year or two, learn the neighborhoods, test the commutes, before we decided on where to buy a home.  Two blocks makes a lot of difference.
Understand that two blocks from here is perfectly [...]

Filed under: Our Garden, Planning a Garden, Urban Gardening | 4 Comments »

While reading an excellent website called the Yardstead, I learned about the Dervaes family – a truly remarkable story.
This is the urban garden on steroids. On a lot almost exactly the same size as ours (1/5 of an acre overall, with about 1/10 of an acre available for planting), they manage to produce 6000 pounds of produce per year. SIX THOUSAND POUNDS. They use 6 kilowatts of energy per day. The can, dry, freeze and ferment. They have livestock! AND BEES (wild bees, no less). They conserve water like crazy.

Filed under: Soil Amendment, Urban Gardening, Water conservation | No Comments »