For those of you still in the suburban cities, one of the must have status symbols is a lush green lawn. People throw hundreds of dollars at their lawn each month, whether it’s water, chemicals or just time spent doing mowing and upkeep. It’s an absolute waste of money and you shouldn’t feel bad about getting rid of it. I once heard a story about a rich couple visiting the Taj Mahal and seeing how gloriously green the lawns were, this wealthy couple insisted on having their own when they came back to Britain and eventually the United States. There’s a story that lawns were basically invented with the advent of the creation of the lawn mower and the rest is history.
No matter how they got started in the United States, the reality is that they now have become an increasingly problematic creation and it’s imperative that we start moving away from these notions of well manicured lawns. According to scientists, our waterways are essentially being polluted by the fertilizer run off of not only our lawns but commercial farms and ranches.
Now if you live in what’s known as an HoA, chances are slim that you’ll be able to do much with your front lawn because they expect you to fall in line with all the other suburbanites. But there’s a law that let’s you plant gardens in your front yard, right? The Florida Friendly Lanscaping Statute allows homeowners to by-pass the HoA if they are willing to adopt water saving landscapes. However, as with anything involving the legal department, you should spend time doing research before you begin any yard project.
Now, most HoA’s won’t complain if you drop gardens along the side yard or the back yard, especially if they are fenced in. I would encourage you not to start any garden until you look at your original contract with your HoA just to reduce the number of problems you will run into. But once you’ve confirmed that you are green for putting in gardens, get yourself some paper and pencils because we’re going to start off with you creating a blueprint of your property.
The first blueprint needs to be designed in such a way as to show how the side and back yards are designed currently. When you are including the plants and gardens, be sure to add any rain catchment systems that you have set up along with any animal pens that you have already established. Rarely, if ever are suburban homes on anything other than city water and sewer but should you happen to have a well or septic tank that should be included.
On the next blueprint you create, mark out what areas are full shade, partial shade, partial sun and full sun. In order for you to understand those meanings, full shade is less than 4 hours of sunlight, partial shade is 4-6 hours of sunlight before midday, part sun is 4-6 hours of direct sunlight and full sun is more than 6 hours of direct sunlight. If you have any naturally wet or dry areas, then what you need to do is add those areas as well.
Finally, the remaining blueprint will be on what changes you plan on making to your property within the first year. If you want to be especially fancy, you can make additional blueprints that show what further changes you will make as the years progress. But for now, start with small changes and before planting anything be sure to research the height, width, light and water requirements of each plant you intend to drop in the ground.
I’ve seen two successful methods for planting perennials in Florida, the first involves laying down brown cardboard boxes, placing the plant in the dead center, pouring a decent load of compost around the roots and then a nice application of mulch. Another method is to dig a hole twice the size of the root ball, place the plant into the hole, backfill with garden soil and amendments then cover thickly with mulch. Be sure to water thoroughly for three weeks and then allow the plant to be watered naturally.
Happy Homesteading!
Suburban & Rural Homesteading Today 