Soil and Toil

Our newest creative project....our front yard! Since moving in 5 years ago I have wanted to tear up the grass up front and put in a xeriscaped oasis. Grass is so needy, gotta water, gotta weed, gotta mow...I would rather a more natural environment up front, and keep the grass in the back for the kids and dogs. So during this hot summer a new weed took over our front yard grass and the grass looked horrible and felt horrible. So we felt it was finally time to do something. I recently heard about this book by Ivette Soler, called "The Edible Front Yard" and got myself a copy and poured through it front to back and back to front. It basically calls us out to get rid of the grass and plant a landscape full of edible annuals, perennials and mix in some beautiful ornamentals.  It just makes sense, and Jason and are becoming more and more aware of our food, where it comes from, what is in it. By having our front yard full of organic, healthy, food grown with our family's love, what could be better? So yesterday we worked all day, under the brutal hot sun of late summer, and layered our front yard grass so that next spring (hopefully!) the grass will be dead, but all that good magic stuff in the soil won't be. We first layered cardboard all over the grass, then added about 4 inches of compost and then 3-4" of mulch. I can't wait for next spring!!!