I have the whole back yard chipped, except the septic field area, which is healthy grass and needs to stay that way. Paths are chipped, two big back yard veg beds (one which will become strawberries this year) are chipped, four perennial beds are chipped (a fifth one is mulched with pine straw), and the currant/gooseberry area is chipped.
On the side yard, which has the 40 degree slope down to the road, I'm converting that to food production too, and 1/3 of it is cleared of weeds and grass and either is currently planted or will be in 10 weeks. On this quick and sloppy map, I've already chipped from the south side on the left to about the "r" in rhubarb, all the way from the fence down to the street. I'd like to get up through the designated blueberry area this year in killing grass/chipping, and next year I'll get rid of that last bit where the apple trees will go. This will leave me with only a smallish front yard to mow, no more than a 45-minute job with the push mower every 10 days, and the back septic field area taking about 20 minutes with a weed-whipper. I can bear that much mowing.
This little load of chips will only do about 1/4 of this year's 1/3, but 1/12 of that area done before March 1 is better than nothing! And it got me some much-needed winter exercise. I'm writing a lot this winter, and fitting in exercise is more than I seem to be able to manage. It's always better for me to exercise because something actually needs to be accomplished than to walk around in circles to no end.
And yes, before you ask, that's FAR too much food for one person! It'll be about 6000 square feet of annual veg and fruit bushes, and about 1500 square feet of orchard by the time I'm done. :D I'm going to start selling the excess this year from my front yard, and next year, I'll expand that operation even more. I'm becoming a farmer, by gosh! And having a great time.
No comments:
Post a Comment