My city lot is .15 acres. I have killed the grass by laying down newspaper covered with “flakes” of straw. (not hay) If you buy a bale of stray and cut the bindings, saving the string to tie up your tomatos, the bale kind of divides into 5 inch hunks, which are flakes.
Most of my flowers and all of my tree and shrubs are native to this area. This feeds and provides nesting space for birds and insects who protect my vegetables from harmful insects. I do have non-natives, but am careful to avoid invasive species. A hive of bees is on my to-do list. No hens, I’m sorry to say, but a friend has free-range organic eggs for me.
Half of my lot is devoted to vegetables. I have a dwarf apple tree, a peach tree, raspberries, strawberries and tons of blueberries. (I live in Maine) I don’t even have to take the bus to the farmer’s market. I can my surplus and have a small, energy efficient freezer in the garage to store locally produced foods, which I buy in bulk in season. By spring, the freezer is empty so I unplug during the hot months. It doesn’t run at all in the winter and I figure that the electricity it does use has less impact than, say, flying produce in from South America.
This post was submitted by Patricia McClure.
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