AfricanKelli

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A wee pepper from the Colorado garden. There are lots of squash blossoms, but no other fruits from this tiny garden’s labor as of yet.

My friends Steve and Jan live on a couple acres near Denver and have the most impressive gardens I’ve ever seen. Jan can grow just about anything, while Steve uses his carpentry skills for good. Arbors, raises beds, handmade bee hives, a pond, etc. It is truly a gorgeous place to spend time.

When I mentioned to Finny that Jan had bees, she said she’d be more than happy to do just that — spend a few hours wandering the garden with Jan. Jan, in turn, was delighted to have someone so incredibly interested in her passions: gardening, canning and bee keeping.

Jan’s pantry is unbelievable. She cans dozens of things — soups, jam, sauces, purees — so they can eat fresh year round.

She also has gobs of fresh fruit they grow, including grapes, cherries and apples.

But let’s be honest — really this was all about the bees. Finny’s new hives have her exceptionally interested in seeing how others tend bees. Jan is just getting going in bee keeping too. She and Steve have 4 hives they’ve built for colonies they either rescued from old buildings or excavated from their own.

And in turn, they have more honey than they know what to do with. We had a honey tasting; she offered us three different versions. One was standard hone, while another was a dark, brandy like honey that is a byproduct. My favorite was the honey mixed with bee pollen. It was earthy, savory and simply heavenly.

Watching these two gab endlessly for a couple hours about their favorite new past time was a kick. They were instant friends. It was, one could say, a sweet way to spend an afternoon.

~K

I am not a fan of weeding. I like being outside in the garden in every other capacity. Weeding is like picking a fight with the slow, violent and mean kids in junior high — miserable, prickly and entirely unnecessary. Alas, this new non-desert environment is host to many a weed. I’m pretty sure I’ve got nearly all varieties of the natives thriving in my yard.

I spent no fewer than five hours the first week in this house outside weeding. Not reading. Not planting seeds, or mowing the lawn or staring at the bees going in and out of the giant tree. Nope. Five hours pulling up handfuls of noxious plants that made my hands itchy, contemplating solutions that didn’t require a fire.

I have a long strip of rocks between the lawn and my drive. The lawn, the flower beds and the entire backyard were full of prickly, poky, annoyances when I moved. Recognizing my limitations in patience, time and energy, I decided to conquer just that strip of rocks with a bit of recycling gardening.

If you are building a garden bed, this can also be called lasagna gardening. Start with one giant cardboard box you care to recycle.

Add a box cutter, a couple package of $3 garden stakes, several bags of mulch and a fair amount of elbow grease.

Place the cardboard down first —  which will biodegrade with rain and time providing a layer of compost — over the weeds and desired area.

Add mulch. (Or if creating a garden bed, add soil, more cardboard, more carbon, rise and repeat layers.)

Voila — the inability for those pesky weeds to return/continue growing. The are stuck under Cardboardland, where they do not pass go. Do not collect $200. And do not continue to multiply like hillbilly bunny rabbits.

And if for whatever reason you have the ability and energy to continue — mow the lawn. My vote? Lawns are dumb. A dumb waste of space and way, way too much physical exertion for too little gain. My permanent front yard will be permaculture and will not, under any circumstances, require a mower.

~K

When my friend BJ mentioned he wanted help “landscaping” the front yard of his new house, I did what I typically do: volunteer, come over prepared after having enjoyed a gallon of coffee, haul him to the local garden shop with far too many ideas and jump up and down on occasion during the day at our progress.

I could never be a hipster. I’m far too willing to show my excitement and happiness at the little things.

We started with two dirt patches filled with errant grass and weeds and a dusty porch. And one happy dog — Chaco — to watch us work.

We finished with two dirt patches covered with black plastic — to cook off those weeds. And a porch decorated with baskets of hanging flowers, a potted poppy and clean chairs. A bit of weeding. A bit of sweeping. And now, a bit of waiting as the plastic and the sun do their thing. In a few weeks we’ll put down mulch, plant some native grasses and a tree and call it a job well done.

With any luck, we’ll come close to the glory that is his next door neighbor’s yard. Not only is her porch swing adorable, but she’s let friends come in to garden portions of her yard. It is a mini-community garden with boxes marked off and the whole enchilada. Amazing creativity, this community. I absolutely love the spirit of sustainability and sharing.

I convinced BJ to approach her and see if anyone else would like the two patches of earth he owns down by the street. The ones in front of her home are being gardened by some volunteer. It would be so much sweeter to see this space going to use for food. He agreed.

*UPDATED: Rosie sent me this link and if it isn’t the same front yard! Bravo to this woman, who’s turned her yard into a CSA.

Of course, we celebrated our hour of labor with two hours of happy at a local brewery.

Colorado loves their breweries. (I could be a hipster about beer. Pretty to photograph, but otherwise? Meh.)

~K

The Rebel is back in action.

~K