2024 April 2 - Swamp, Wetland, Backyard?

The rain continued all night again and the yard is a mud puddle. Actually, not all of the yard though. We followed the "Leave the Leaves" campaign last year and raked the leaves into the flower beds and the new vegetable area along the fence. We currently only have turf grass along the middle path and around the edge paths. Guess where the mud is congregating? Right on the grass paths. It's really telling that the areas covered in decomposing leaves have no standing water...it makes the soil more porous and able to hold more water for longer. Mulch wins. 

Last fall we left the leaves in the front yard too! I know a certain neighbor or two are upset about it. They think the leaves in my yard will blow onto their perfect grass carpets. What's interesting though, since we left the stems of the perennials intact for the bugs too, they hold the leaves in their place. I made a "Leave the Leaves" sign for the front yard because we learned pretty quickly how the city will send a sharp letter if if the yard "looks overgrown". We got one the first year, as soon as we started putting in the pollinator garden out front. Now, I realize the importance of the yard looking intentional.

 

Mid summer, when the garden is the sparkling beauty it becomes, people often say, "Wow, this is a lot of work." So yes, there is work that goes into it, but a lot of what we do is perennial and sustainable. We haven't grown annual veggies in a few years. The berries, grapes, ramps, asparagus, chives, medicinal herbs, and flowers come back every year with no fuss. I literally shake zinnia and marigold seeds all around to the "dead spots" where maybe a perennial hasn't taken off yet. To the master gardeners who came by at the end of the season, I know they were thinking we are lazy gardeners. But to my friends with ecological hearts or permaculture eyes, they get what is going on. 

In general humans do too much to the environment. The doing too much can actually destroy an ecosystem. I'm not out there raking, blowing, spraying, mowing every second. It's intentional. By the end of June, when the yard is singing loudly with life and blinking with lightning bugs, you can see, hear, smell and taste the point. 

Here is Chickaletta helping us compost the leaves in the spot where we will plant a three sisters garden soon.