#convert lawn to garden

[healthylifewithus]

The Only Book You Need to Become Self-Sufficient on a Quarter Acre.

With this book, you’ll probably never have to rely on anybody else in times of crisis. You’ll become truly independent from the government, grocery chains, pharmacies, water and energy companies, and even the entire grid as you’ll produce everything you need on your own land.And the truth is, you don’t need a big piece of land to do that, just a quarter of an acre or even less.The Only Book You Need to Become Self-Sufficient on a Quarter Acre .But to achieve this kind of self-sufficiency on a small plot, you need to make everything as efficient as possible and absolutely need the right kind of advice from the start. Ron Melchiore and his wife, Johanna, have been living completely off-grid for over 40 years.They are self-sufficient, and they’ve had decades to perfect the methods they will share with you inside their new book:

[anipgarden]

Ani Reviews: Hellstrip Gardening

Alrighty homies here's another Informal Book Review. This is the second time I've done a book review, but I hope this is helpful!

[Photo ID: a book, titled "Hellstrip Gardening: Create a paradise between the sidewalk and the curb" by Evelyn J. Hadden (Author of Beautiful No-Mow Yards) With photographs by Joshua McCullough, Foreword by Lauren Springer Ogden]

Out of the seven books I checked out from the library this round, I picked this one second because not only was I looking forward to the read, but so were some friends in my gardening server! Its one of, if not the longest book in the stack--the main contents are 279 pages total--but its definitely well worth the read! You can see where I live blogged it here.

The inspiration and energy in this book is potent! By the time I finished reading the foreword and the introduction, I was already dreaming up new gardening projects to work on next spring, and that energy stayed up all the way until the end! It definitely helps that the photos in this book are absolutely gorgeous! Seriously, even if you aren't wanting to make a front yard garden, I'd recommend this book for cool garden photos alone! This is another one of those books that's way more relevant if you're the home owner, or a landscaper (or just got permission from your parents to do some front yard gardening), but even still so much of the advice in this book is great for just about any kind of gardening as well! Between beautiful photos of front yard gardens others have already done, tons of encouragement and advice on how to handle anything from trees to poor soils to outdated laws and HOA boards, and a deluge of plant recommendations for different grow zones and purposes, it's definitely a valuable resource!

After the introduction, this book is separated into four major sections referred to as Parts. There's Inspirations, Situations, Creation, and Curbside-Worthy Plants. If you're looking for ideas on what a converted yard can look like, Inspirations and Creation is the place to go. If you're unsure how to do so with any specific circumstances you may be facing, Situations is the section for you. So on and so forth. All in all, between the gorgeous photos, and the amazing content, this was a fairly quick read for me!

I will say, this is a book aimed directly for gardeners in the US. While some of the general advice might be good for people abroad, at the end of the day its a book written in an American perspective for gardeners in America. That being said, it focuses on America as a whole--so if you're hoping for a dedicated section on how to do what you want in your state specifically, you might get lucky, you might get unlucky. I know the example garden for my state wasn't anything I'd be excited about, meanwhile there's three sample gardens for Minnesota (two in Minneapolis) and there's only twelve sample gardens in the book! Also, if you're looking for a book to tell you to only ever use native plants in your garden, this isn't the one--the book will eagerly encourage you use native plants, and will implore you to remove any invasive plants that may be on your property, but is also more than welcome to recommending well behaved non-native plants. Let it be known that I don't think this is a problem at all! But if you're picky about that, I'm just letting that be known.

Oh and also one final note. The book is called Hellstrip Gardening, and it does talk about hellstrips, but it doesn't only talk about hellstrips. A good chunk of the example gardens don't even have hellstrips. This book talks plenty about full yard transformation! Which I find fantastic and enlightening! If you're looking for a book that's only about hellstrips, though, this isn't it.

All in all, this is an amazing book with amazing photos, 10/10 could probably show to someone to get them to see the light of front yard gardens.

[auntieashleydark]

So You Want to be Solarpunk?

If your neighborhood has a vacant lot, get some neighbors together and turn it into a community garden.

Organize a block party.

Create a maker space enabling folks to repair, repurpose, and swap their old stuff.

Organize a bunch of plant-savvy neighbors to help folks convert their yards from resource hungry yuppie lawns into something sustainable that fits the local biome.

Get a few friends together and clean up the trash on the streets. Make sure to recycle.

Set up Little Free Libraries and Little Free Pantries.

Get tool-savvy neighbors together to help folks with needed household repairs and upgrades.

The punk in solarpunk is about resistance to the alienation and consumer culture that makes our communities unsustainable and our environments toxic.

[mint-8]

Platonic! Yandere PVZ Plants x GN! Gardener/Neighbor! Reader

Platonic! Yandere Sunflower

- Yandere Sunflower enjoys spending quality time with you! Whether you are working in the garden, doing some other work, or simply chilling under the sun, Yandere Sunflower will make sure to be by your side at all times!

- Yandere Sunflower's favorite activity is singing! They will sing whatever songs you favor and will be delighted if you sing alongside them! Even if you are not the best at it, Yandere Sunflower will be there to cheer you on and practice! They are even willing to let the other plants hear your melodic voice, but only if you promise you'll spend extra special time with them later, ok?

- Yandere Sunflower also loves seeing you dance around the lawn. They are definitely going to make you the star of their reality show when it finally airs. It's going to be a huge hit, they promise!

- Yandere Sunflower who really appreciates you sitting to bask the sun with them and simply... talk. It can be pretty chaotic with the constant zombie hordes and Crazy Dave's antics, but Yandere Sunflower finds solace in the fact that they were one of your very first plants. I mean, Peashooter was there too, but... without them, you'll be completely defenseless against the undead! You need them after all! It's comforting, knowing that very few plants will provide you with the sun necessary to fight and protect your house... it makes them feel needed and loved.

- Yandere Sunflower who gets along well with everyone else in the garden, especially their close friend group: Peashooter, Wall-nut, and Potato Mine. Yandere Sunflower knows them the best and trusts them completely to keep you safe. And you know the saying, best plants stick together :)

Platonic! Yandere Peashooter

- Yandere Peashooter, like many other plants in your garden, has a strong will to protect you, their dear gardener. They make sure to practice their pea throwing abilities every day and encourage the rest of the plants to do the same!

- Yandere Peashooter who acts like a proper, hardworking leader to the many plants in your house, but who in private acts like a diva and is completely spoiled in your affections and time. They are willing to share, but only to those close to them, and even then, Yandere Peashooter might act a bit hurt and annoyed when you come by to cut their leaves or water their roots.

- Yandere Peashooter who gains so much pride from being your very first attacker plant, knowing they hold that special place in your heart and memory bank, helps them go through the tough times, so they take that pride and convert it into energy to defend you from those putrid zombies!

- Yandere Peashooter who loves it when you spoil them with affection, but more often than not, also simply enjoys watching you do your chores around the house. You are always so diligent and focused when taking care of them and the rest of the plants, which inspires them to uphold such discipline as well when in front of others!

- Yandere Peashooter will only ever trust their 3 best friends: Sunflower, Wall-nut, and Potato Mine, with their dark secrets and knowledge of their obsession. They might not be the strongest plant, but they are a veteran in this war, and they know exactly where to hit, so it hurts the most.

Platonic! Yandere Wall-nut

- Yandere Wall-nut is a total sweetheart who is a great listener to you, their beloved gardener, and who happily accepts their role as a defensive plant to protect the rest of the garden! They are very selfless and are more than willing to sacrifice their entire body (literally) for the greater good (that being your protection, of course).

- Yandere Wall-nut enjoys spending time with you, like any other plant. But they would rather let you use them for any purpose you might have! As a feet recliner, as a cup holder, as a resting stool... you can use them for anything! But you are so kind to them gardener, you always sit by them and talk about your day. You are just the sweetest.

- Yandere Wall-nut doesn't mind feeling the teeth of the undead violently chewing and ripping off their shell, thankfully they can't feel that much, so it's just like a massage! But they hate seeing you sad and frustrated whenever you place them to protect the other plants. It makes them sad. Wouldn't you rather let loose of that frustration on them?

- Yandere Wall-nut is so desperate to please you that they are more than willing to become your stress toy. No, really. You can kick them, throw stuff at them, and even try to set them on fire! Yandere Wall-nut wouldn't mind too much... if it means feeling such light pain will result in your happy smile, then they can easily make that small sacrifice. Plus... you are paying attention to them... you are touching them with such fervor... it's totally worth it ♡

Platonic! Yandere Potato Mine

- Yandere Potato Mine enjoys the silence and calmness when they aren't fighting hordes of zombies. They enjoy simply taking in the sun and watching you work around the garden, usually without you noticing. They can be very sneaky if they wish to, but feeling your lovely kisses and pats whenever they do a good job battling the undead makes them feel butterflies, which will usually flare up their antenna.

- Yandere Potato Mine enjoys your attention and your love, but they prefer watching from afar. Or rather, from below. They usually don't hang out with the other plants that much. Aside from some insta-kills specimens and their close friend group, Yandere Potato Mine can usually be found sleeping and enjoying the sun whenever they are not stalking their favorite person in the whole world.

- Yandere Potato Mine who works best as an intelligence gatherer whenever Peashooter, Sunflower, or Wall-nut aren't able to find you. They can put their faith that Yandere Potato Mine will always know where you are and report back. They are great at blending with the environment. After all, they've had plenty of practice.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Beautiful converted 1900 historic mill in Quakertown, Pennsylvania has the original mill stone on the lawn, that was used to crush and grind the wheat and grains for bread. 4bds, 3ba, $885K.

I do like the entrance hall- beautiful leaded glass door.

Through the door is a vast main living space with a long stone fireplace and what looks like another millstone for a coffee table.

One step up is a very large dining room area off the kitchen.

The large eat-in modern country kitchen.

Cute half bath with a barrel sink.

Interesting how they put a wall over the stairs.

The primary bedroom is huge and look at the fireplace and stone wall. The ceiling also looks original.

One of the other bedrooms. Smaller, but a good size.

The full baths are disappointingly plain.

The home is listed as a single family but there's another big living/dining room and a kitchen up here.

These are the original hand hewn and joined beams.

There are so many large rooms, I'm wondering how much it costs for heat in the cold Pennsylvania winters.

There are rooms of work areas. The home is huge.

The water trough that drove the mill is still here.

The stucco top coat on the house is wearing off and exposing the stone. Looks like a picture.

The garden is lovely.

The mill stream flows past the large redwood deck. There's a total of 4.51 acres of land.

[riverianepondsims]

The Sims 2 to The Sims 3 - Eco Pure Yard Signs

Here's some garden/yard signs in various shades of the rainbow! 💾 Download: SFS Info below:

I converted these such a long time ago for a very specific random purpose, planned to share them, but like a lot of things, I forgot to. It was a very impromptu sort of, "oh, I'm working on this project, but now I need this for said project so now I have a side quest..." type of thing. I've seen a lot of gardening posts since PhoebeJay's cool new Alottments Mod dropped the other day, so I figured I'd finally share these. These are converted from the TS2 originals by simsinlowspace and tvickiesims. I love this color palette so much I once used it to color coordinate a study guide. These signs have all of the same presets the TS2 ones do, and they're all very colorful. I can't help but need tons of color in my sims' lives.

You can find all of my previous uploads conveniently by clicking “Navigation” on my blog and going to “Downloads” or visiting riverianepondsims downloads

Eco Pure Yard Signs

Price: §150 | Location: Misc Deco, Sculptures, Lawn Deco

🔍 Search: Now that there is a catalog search mod, you can find these posters easily in buy mode by searching for riverianepondsims, simsinlowspace, tvickiesims, 2022, 2t3, eco, or yard signs.

💾 Download: SFS

🍊👒🍓

[ineffablefool]

Housemate and I have been slowly trying to turn our entire property into a native garden for over a decade now (just the backyard at first, but now that the city allows it in the front ~1/3 of the front, we've started converting the whole front over too). We both hate standard suburban lawn, and we want to encourage native species of birds and bugs and things to flourish on our little .3 acre patch.

I think it's working.

[tokidokitokyo]

東京都

Japanese Prefectures: Kantō - Tokyo

都道府県 (とどうふけん) - Prefectures of Japan

Learning the kanji and a little bit about each of Japan’s 47 prefectures!

Kanji・漢字

東　ひがし、トウ　east

京　キョウ、ケイ　capital; 10**16 (ten quadrillion)

都　みやこ、ト、ツ　metropolis, capital

関東　かんとう　Kanto, region consisting of Tokyo and surrounding prefectures

The capital of Japan, Tokyo has 23 special wards (東京都区部), 26 cities, 1 district (西多摩郡), and 4 subprefectures (支庁)

Tokyo is the largest urban and industrial agglomeration of Japan. Since ancient times the unassuming fishing village of Edo existed for centuries before the Tokugawa shogunate (1603-1867) made it into the capital city, while the imperial family remained in Kyoto. The Tokugawa shogunate ended with the Meiji Restoration of 1868, and Edo became the official capital of Japan, renamed to Tokyo, meaning "eastern capital." It was already the largest city in Japan and the population exceeded one million. Now it is one of the world's most populous cities and the largest industrial, commercial, and financial center in Japan. The Imperial Palace, the home of the emperor of Japan, lies at the heart of the city, encircled by stone-walled moats and broad gardens. Tokyo is the chief transportation hub for Japan and an important international traffic center, and also Japan's major cultural center.

Recommended Tourist Spot・おすすめ観光スポット Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden - 新宿御苑

Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden

When it comes to Tokyo there is an endless list of things to do and see. So picking one to highlight was difficult, but I went with a favorite of mine. Located a short walk from Shinjuku Station, spacious lawns, meandering walking paths and tranquil scenery of Shinjuku Gyoen provide a relaxing escape from the busy urban center around it. In the spring, Shinjuku Gyoen becomes one of the best places in the city to see cherry blossoms, and in the fall the autumn colors are stunning. With an admission fee of only ￥500, it is a wonderful way to get lost in the beauty of an oasis in the middle of the metropolis.

Shinjuku Gyoen, meaning Shinjuku Imperial Garden, originated during the Edo Period (1603-1868) as a feudal lord's Tokyo residence. Later, it was converted into a botanical garden before being transferred to the Imperial Family in 1903 who used it for recreation and for the entertainment of guests. The park was almost completely destroyed during World War II, but was eventually rebuilt and reopened in 1949 as a public park.

There are three main gardens - the Japanese garden, the French garden, and the English garden - as well as a greenhouse full of tropical flowers. There are restaurants and cafes, a tea room, and a rest house with souvenirs. The garden is so large that I have never been able to view it all in one visit.

Regional Cuisine - 郷土料理 Monjayaki - もんじゃ焼き

Monjayaki (source)

A type of pan-fried batter or savoury pancake, monjayaki is Tokyo’s version of okonomiyaki, the iconic dish of Hiroshima and Osaka. Monjayaki looks less like a potato pancake than okonomiyaki and retains a slightly runny appearance similar to melted cheese, even when cooked, but the cooking method remains the same.

The origins of monjayaki or monja can be traced back to a crêpe-like confection known as mojiyaki in the late Edo period. It was called mojiyaki (moji means character, as in hiragana) because people used it to write characters on the hot griddle surface. Monja experienced a popularity boom in the 1980s that led to the birth of Monja Street on Nishinakadori in Tsukishima where today 75 monja restaurants line the street.

To cook monja, first, stir-fry the ingredients, consisting of meats, veggies, cheese, and mochi or crispy noodles – on the griddle. Once they’re almost cooked, form a doughnut shape with a hole in the middle and pour the batter into it. Wait until the batter starts to boil, then mix it all up and press it down with the spatula to better cook it. Then scoop it into a bowl or onto a plate and enjoy.

Tokyo Dialect・Toukyou no hougen・東京の方言

Generally, the Tokyo dialect is taken to be Standard Japanese, although slang can vary between regions and social classes. Traditional dialects in central Tokyo are generally classified in two groups: Yamanote dialect (山の手言葉, Yamanote kotoba) and Shitamachi dialect (下町言葉, Shitamachi kotoba). The Yamanote dialect is characteristic of the old upper class from the Yamanote area. Since the Meiji period, Standard Japanese has been based on the Yamanote dialect. The Shitamachi dialect is a working-class dialect, and it preserves features of Edo Chōnin (Edokko) speech, also called Edo dialect (江戸言葉, 江戸弁, Edo kotoba, Edo-ben). Tokyo-style rakugo is typically played in the Shitamachi dialect.

Tokyo dialect dates back to Tokugawa Ieyasu's establishment of Edo as the main capital. Large groups of people, speaking a range of dialects migrated across the country from the former capital of Kyoto. The Kyoto dialect was the prestige language of the time and strongly influenced the Edo dialect in the early Edo period. The Edo dialect grew as Edo became the largest city in Japan and became the new prestige language in the late Edo period. Because of its unique history, especially in relation to the Kyoto dialect, Tokyo is what is known as a language island in the Kantō region. For example, traditional Kantō dialects have been characterized by the use of volitional and presumptive suffix -be, which is rarely used in Tokyo.

あたぼー　(atabou)　

Standard Japanese: 当たり前　(atari mae) English: obviously

あんまり　(anmari)

Standard Japanese: あまり　(amari) English: not very much

しょっぱい　(shoppai)

Standard Japanese: 塩辛い　(shiokarai) English: salty

でかい　(dekai)

Standard Japanese: 大きい　(ookii) English: big

About Tokyo dialect (Japanese page)

[solarpunkani]

I think one thing people need to keep in mind is that oftentimes people you are trying to educate on a topic are more likely to absorb the information into their lives if you're nice to them.

Like if I talk to people in a calm and friendly manner about planting native plants and the benefits of gardening for wildlife and such, what small things they could do and what it could later build up to if they wanted, people are so chill about it! Do you know how many people I've gotten to start butterfly gardening by being nice about it?

Whereas the 'if you aren't already converting your entire front lawn into a giant pollinator garden you're a horrible person and you personally are destroying the earth here's why you should rip up your lawn' approach has, from what I've noticed... a lot lower of a success rate. You're gonna guilt trip stun lock people like that, and they'll either go 'oh this task is Too Big and its already Too Late' or go 'well that person's a dick in fact I'm gonna go mow my lawn a second time because fuck em,' yknow?

This can apply to so many other situations but yknow.

[libraford]

I saw you were killing your lawn grass to plant clover and other things. Do you have any advice? We're trying to do no mowing or anything but it's SO LONG I worry about ticks and chiggers. I dunno how to convert this to something a little less wild.

Some examples of it! It's just a lil crazy atm and I kinda want a garden of edible vegetables somewhere!! But I have no idea how to even start. I really wanna plant trees but the ground here is so hard (mountains) it's so hard to dig to plant.

---------

That grass is going to outcompete anything you try to plant there at its current state. You will have to get rid of that grass.

You have a couple options.

The first is mowing it with the intent to kill it. I mean real short. I mean get that blade so close to the dirt its hitting rocks. With as high as it is right now, you might try a weed whacker for the tallest parts. If you can rent a good mower, do so. I've been using a cheap mower and its been struggling. Or get someone else to mow it for you- but you have to get it short.

The second option is smothering it. It can't grow if there's no light. I've done this accidentally before with pieces of cardboard weighed down. Two weeks-ish will have it dead, just check it periodically. This might be harder to do on a large area.

We are doing a combination of the two.

First, cutting it short. Show that grass who's boss.

After its been cut, we are using the pieces of our shed that blew over in a wind storm to cover the lawn one section at a time. After the two weeks are up on one area, we move the plastic pieces further into the yard.

Here comes the clover.

Once the grass is dead, that's when you can plant your ground cover (clover mix). Try to do this on a day when the soil is wet.

When it comes in, the clover will want to get tall. Cut it down. Once you cut it, it will grow more slowly and you won't have to do it as often as you would with grass.

Once you reseed the lawn, you will have to continue reseeding it because that grass will want to take over. We skipped it this year and the grass took control of the lawn.

You might want to look into 'no mow' plants that do well in your soil. Because its one thing to stop mowing but the real benefits to the soil come from plant diversity. But sadly, we don't have the same kind of dirt and my knowledge of your soil type is limited and this is like a whole... thing.

Like our main concern in our area is having plants that help with drainage. Probably not the same problem where you are. So think about what kinds of problems you have and try to find a garden blog that deals with those specific problems.

[solar-sunnyside-up]

hey, something i've been struggling with recently is i've been struggling with "finding my people" because i'm a minority in my hometown, and a lot of people... aren't. they don't understand me, and often when i try to get them to understand they seem like they fall back into the old systems they were traumatized with (elitism, classism ect.,). 1/2 -solidarity anon

Im gunna say this at the top, this is so rough and im so sorry you gotta go through this sweetie. We are so isolated and filtered into categories within our current system in order to keep that isolation and to fight solidarity and unity. Now I cannot know for 100% sure what your going through or the extend your suffering. But will say I am from and currently still live in a oil loving, god fearing, anti-LGBT, and very racist city while i was raised wiccan by a poly core family and all my gay aunts/uncles and have been dreaming of an earthship my whole life plus every summer id be stuck in an even more harsh farming community that was so small they gotntheir first street light when i was 9 and the chruch is also town hall (mayor works in a wing off of the building). So there is at least some overlap in the experiences your having.

But that being said, how I got weirdly connected to people and involved in so many projects and stuff might not work for you.

Personally? I just yelled and yelled about the injustice of the system at work, about cool forestry projects and people buying ghost towns to start up Co-loving villages. Sharing discworld and different philosophers with coworkers backed up by their fave hobby. About how terrible the conservative politics are. About how cool transit could be if we funded it. About community art projects and how cool solar glass would make things look. About drags shows and events and did you know there is A SOUP FESTIVAL? I'm autistic and have only really interacted my whole childhood with friends with ADHD so my brain is weird and won't shut up once it starts going.

As a result of my ramblings, I have gotten a lot of responses mostly ones that are positive since if they didn't agree with my absurdist philosophy ramblings or solar project ideas they'd just leave the coffee shop. If they enjoyed it, say they want to join a community garden/event or if someone was as stoked as I was about again UNLIMITED TASTINGS SOUP FESTIVAL than we'd chat about that. The thing is a lot of these things have overlap. Someone who wants to convert their lawn into a pollinators habitate prob also likes little libraries and as a result prob also likes the idea of dark sky street lights. And down the rabbit hole you go.

That being said... my best actual advice is 2 pronged.

RESEARCH and REACH OUT

I personally have done years worth of research on my city. What local events and politics are happening? Even in rural places there is at least garderns, there's engineers, there's usually a LGBT focused club. And from these spaces, you can build a network. Doing research I found out about 5 different organizations in my city (most of which was founded 40 yrs ago??) That where sustainability focused. Doing research made me realize how cool community associations could be and how I could help mine out. It also gives you all those ideas for convos.

Second, I reached out to those groups about weird ideas I had, about if I could hang up posters for them in my local area, if I could buy groups worth of tickets in advance, and than also reaching out to the ppl I already talked to and had these ppl interact. My fave example of this is T. T is an engineer who built a fully functioning solar car during his degree program but specializes in hydroponics (how we ended up talking was over plants) he than gets shown my fave farm near by and now he's building the farms hydro system and Seedling house. Writing in to newsletter ppl and showing off weird layout design. This is ultimately very anxiety indusing. What if I'm bothering them? Why should I be spamming them like this? But the secret here is-

No one will ever be mad about you showing interest in their interest once you find those ppl. They want the interaction just as much as you do.

[anipgarden]

Adding To or Starting a Garden

AKA, the beginning of the Plants-Related section of this series.

This is my third post in a series I’ll be making on how to increase biodiversity on a budget! I’m not an expert--just an enthusiast--but I hope something you find here helps! 

Got an area of lawn you’d like to convert to a wildlife haven? An area you can stick some hanging baskets in? Want to know how your garden of tomatoes and zucchinis is already putting in a lot of work? This is the section for you!

It would be dumb of me to not acknowledge that the act of gardening can come with a lot of costs. Buying seeds, buying plants, buying soil, raised bed materials, mulch, etc. … it can all get a bit daunting, let’s be honest! But there’s quite a few ways to get seeds and plants for free or extremely cheap, which I’ll be addressing in this section! The next section will be all about addressing the other Costs in gardening and how to mitigate or eliminate them entirely.

Also, do keep in mind; there’s no need to try and convert a whole area from lawn to garden or unused to garden at once. In fact, it could actually be extremely beneficial to do it a little at a time--maybe four or five square feet to start out.

Front Lawn (or Managing Principles)

If you live in a place where you’re required to have a grass turf lawn (HOA’s come to mind…), try replacing it with native grasses instead! You could even possibly use a low-growing ground cover plant like clover to a similar effect! Reseeding/replacing an entire lawn can be a big upfront cost, but even just letting the lawn be a little messy and tall helps. If the lawn gets patchy, leave the bare spots for a little while and something different will likely pop up! Pioneer species will fill the gaps and provide benefits to other plants around them, support animals, and more! If you want to take the guesswork out of it, you could always research what the pioneer species are in your area and plant the ones you like most. 

Obtaining Seeds for Cheap or Free

The cheapest way to start a garden is by far via seeds. However, seeds can be a bit complicated to grow, and some sources make them… way overpriced. Fortunately there are ways to get seeds for little to no cost! 

Some places sell seeds for as low as a dollar, 50 cents, or 25 cents! The packets may not have a lot of seeds, but it’s definitely a good start for a low budget! I’ve personally bought cheap seed packets at Walmart--the Ferry-Morse and Burpee brands are not what we’re looking for here. Typically the cheaper ones I’ve found are American Seed (which is owned by Green Garden Products, which also owns Ferry-Morse, Livingston Seed, McKenzie Seed, and Seeds of Change. Do with that information what you will), but they’re rarely stocked near the Ferry-Morse ones in the Formal Gardening Section. I’ve most often found them on end caps near the gardening section, so you may have to weave through a few aisles to find them, but once you do there’s an array of flower and vegetable seeds to select from! Alternatively, I’ve found seeds at Dollar Tree sold 2 or 4 for a dollar in Spring as part of their seasonal product; however, when they’re out of stock, they’re typically out of stock for the year. Try to check them out early in the year!

Otherwise, other seed companies like Urban Farmer or Botanical Interests will often have semi-frequent sales in spring and fall, when people are stocking up on seeds--joining their email lists can help you be the first to know when a good sale is going on!

Some foods from grocery stores will provide seeds that you can use in the garden as well. I’ve had the most luck with store-bought bagged beans, peppers, and tomatoes. Some people have had luck with watermelons, apples, citrus, squash, and more. Do keep in mind that you likely won’t get the same variety of fruit/vegetable as the one you bought--the resulting plant may look different and taste different.

Give it a shot! Pick some beans you like--if they don't grow well, at least you can eat the rest!

If you live in the US, food-producing live plants, bare roots, and seeds can often be purchased with SNAP benefits. But what does growing fruits, veggies, and herbs have to do with boosting biodiversity? While food crops aren’t typically native, they still provide valuable shelter for native insects. Some plants even have intricate relationships with native fauna--like the squash bee, a solitary bee which exclusively pollinates cucurbits like pumpkins, squash, and zucchini. And we get to benefit more directly as well! If you’re planting a diverse range of foods in your garden (as opposed to the swaths of single-plant farms that typically produce what’s sent to grocery stores), you’re supporting high levels of biodiversity by providing a variety of plants for creatures to live and hunt around.

Most of the time, when we think of boosting biodiversity with a garden, we think of a colorful flower garden teeming with pollinator species. However, if we’re striving to use native species, it can be a bit difficult to find some species in stores. I can say from experience that trying to find any wildflower seeds other than butterfly weed, purple coneflowers, and black-eyed-susans is… challenging, if you limit yourself to stores like Walmart, Home Depot, and Lowe’s. You might occasionally get lucky with an ACE Hardware or a local nursery, but even then sometimes it can be hard to track down who in your area is selling what--let alone if you live in an area where no one really is selling native plants or their seeds. Not to mention, even once you find a local or online store selling the seeds you want, they can sometimes cost a pretty penny. So what do you do?

If you have the option to, consider gathering native seeds yourself! Get good at identifying the native flora and fauna--or at least, a few target plants and their lookalikes--and get ready to go! Learn where they tend to grow, when they’ll be seeding, etc. Try to identify the plant before it goes to seed (for most plants, it's easiest to identify when flowering), then check back regularly to gather seeds. Typically, if I want to learn how to collect seed from a specific plant, I just search it on Google or YouTube--oftentimes, I'm lead to the GrowItBuildIt Youtube page, so it may be a helpful resource for you as well! Of course, make sure to leave plenty of seed behind so the wild population can repopulate, and seed can feed other creatures in the area. A good rule of thumb is to take no more than 1/3rd of what's available.

Buying seed in bulk is an option if you can afford the upfront cost. Try teaming up with a few friends to buy some bulk seeds and split them amongst yourselves--you’ll get tons of seed! Prairie Moon is a popular site that'll sell seeds by the pound if you can afford the price--though they're in the US, and I believe they focus on Midwest and East Coast natives.

If you want to cheat the system, don’t buy bulk sunflower seeds--buy bags of sunflower seeds being sold as birdseed. They’re typically all black oil sunflower seeds, but they’ll sprout, and they’re fairly cheap for the amount you get!

However, beware generic wildflower seed mixes! Many brands like to sell wildflower seed mixes in big box stores like Home Depot, Target, or even Dollar Tree, but they’ll often include flowers that aren’t native or possibly even invasive in your region! Before you make any purchases, double check to make sure the contained seeds won’t do more harm than good! A quality source of native seeds will provide English and Latin names for all seeds included, and will be native to the region or at least non-invasive. 

See this? I don't trust this.

There’s a good handful of programs online that’ll send you free seeds if you’re planning to start a native habitat project! Poke around online and see what you can find; you might get lucky! The best time to start looking for these is fall and winter, I find--by early spring, many of them are either done or beginning to wind down... though some also start up in spring. Ultimately--just check regularly! You never know what you can find!

Other Ways to Get Plants

Don’t want to start from seed? That’s fair! You can try cuttings! Just be sure not to take too much of the plant while you do so. Make sure you’ve gotten a few leaf nodes on your cutting, and cut any flowers you may have gotten. Make sure to leave some blooms and foliage on the original plant for the creatures in the current habitat--you don’t want to destroy one habitat to make another in your garden. There’s tons of methods of rooting cuttings, many of which have different efficacy rates for different plants, but that’s a topic for another post.

If you find seedlings growing in a place where they won’t be able to sustain themselves long-term, or are in danger of being destroyed, consider relocating them! You may be able to gently dig up and transplant the seedling to your garden. Don’t do this if they’re in a place where they can easily survive--ideally, you’ll be taking plants from sidewalk cracks, heavily maintained public gardens, roadsides, etc. Do be careful while doing this--ensure your safety first!  

You’re totally allowed to join gardening communities like clubs, facebook groups, and more before you’ve even put a trowel to the dirt. These are great places to learn information and advice! Many gardeners are more than happy to help out a new gardener, and will eagerly provide seeds, cuttings, or even baby plants! Talk to some people about your gardening journey and what you’re hoping to do, and you just might find some kindred spirits--or at least get more people interested in the topic! 

Seed and plant giveaways and trades happen all the time in gardening clubs, as well as online! Just poke around and see what you can find! Some are explicitly trades, meaning you’re expected to send something in return, but once you get your feet on the ground with some plant knowledge you’ll be stellar! You may be able to explain you’re just starting out, and someone may send you seeds without expecting a trade, but I’d suggest trying giveaways first. 

Poke around online and see if there’s a local chapter of your state’s native plant society. From there, you’ll likely be able to find a calendar of events--many of them will host plant sales in the spring, with a bunch of native plant seedlings ripe for the pickings if you can make it out and have some money to spare! Fair warning, though, you’ll want to get there early if you can. If they say they’re starting at 10, try to get there by 9:45. Year after year, there’s always record turnout, and they sell out of plants faster than ever. Just trust me on this. I’ve been let down; hopefully you won’t have to be.

Some libraries are beginning to host seed libraries! Check around and see if your library has one! Ideally, the system works best if you also have seeds to contribute in return, but if you’re just starting out I’m sure they won’t mind you taking some seeds! Just consider saving some seeds to contribute in the future and pay it forward. If your library doesn’t have a seed library? Consider asking if they’d be willing to start one! Community interest is a great way to get the ball rolling on projects like these, but they’ll only know the community is interested if the community tells them they’re interested!

Volunteer to Garden for/with Someone Else

Maybe someone in your area wants to garden, but is struggling to find the time/energy. Many elderly people who used to garden simply can’t anymore but still would like a garden. Other people may love to have a helping hand in their garden. You might even find a few people in your area interested in renting and sharing a community garden plot with others, so they don't have to handle it all on their own! They may be interested in increasing biodiversity right now, or may be willing to if it’s brought up to them. You might be just the kind of person someone needs! Since it won't be your garden, you’ll likely need a bit of permission and collaboration to get anything in particular going, but it’s worth a shot and a way to maybe even make friends! 

Again, your mileage may vary with some of these. You may not know where there's a bunch of wildflowers growing in your area, or maybe your local library doesn't have a free seed library. That's okay! Do what you're able to, find what you can find, get what you can get! And there's never any shame with starting small--in fact, starting small can make the project easier to manage and expand when you're able!

That's the end of this post! My next post is gonna be about ways to start growing plants cheaply--low cost seed starting set ups, essentially. There's a lot of good options, many of which I've used myself even! Until then, I hope this advice is helpful! Feel free to reply with any questions, success stories, or anything you think I may have forgotten to add in!

[innytoes]

Hello, please do prompt 21 for willex!! So excited!

And also for @legolasghosty who asked for the same with Willex(ie). Because you all love the giant skeleton prompt lol.

You'd think after several months of being crammed into a tour bus during their first tour ever, Alex would have cringed at the idea of pooling their money to buy a house together as a band. But it wasn't like they were making Mansion Money (not yet! the Bobby in his mind shouted), and well, he kind of liked their little house. He liked seeing his friends every day. They each had their own bedroom, they converted the garage into a music studio, and there were enough bathrooms that nobody wanted to murder the others on a regular basis.

The house was in a nice neighbourhood, but nice in the way that people smiled and nodded at each other on the street, not nice as in 'everyone's lawn is immaculate and exactly according to HOA standards'. The house on the corner had an alarming amount of garden gnomes, there was a Little Free Library a few houses down, and apparently people went kind of hard decorating for the holidays.

Reggie had been more than happy to sweet talk the little old lady with the Pomeranian from down the street into giving up her source for decorative gourds. But it wasn't enough, so they decided to plan a trip to the nearest Spirit Halloween.

It wasn't like they planned to come home with a twelve foot skeleton. But it was there, and it was awesome, and when Alex had tried to object, Luke had turned to him with a: "We're the adults now, bro. We get to decide what that means."

And well, how could Alex object to that?

"Okay," he'd agreed. "But only if we can rig it so he's holding a pride flag."

And so, Clyde The Pride Skeleton was erected in their front yard, much to the delight of a lot of their neighbours. It wasn't uncommon for people to stop and take pictures, for little kids to shout HI CLYDE on their way to school, and for the local teens to salute him while biking past. Alex kind of loved it.

So yeah, he wasn't particularly upset to find a stranger in their front yard taking selfies with Clyde. The skeleton was located far enough to the front of their yard and they had enough greenery and porch between him and the house that their privacy wasn't exactly compromised. And well, who wouldn't want a picture with a giant gay skeleton?

The thing that was alarming was how this guy was taking selfies.

Because he was on stilts. Stilts high enough that when Alex looked out of his bedroom window, he was face to face with the beautiful, handsome, insane stranger in the front yard.

"Hi! I love your skeleton!" the guy called, waving as Alex opened up his widow in alarm.

"What the hell are you doing?" he called, a little alarmed. The guy was really, really high up.

"Taking a selfie?" Stilt Guy responded, wiggling his phone a little for emphasis.

"Okay," Alex huffed to himself, because obviously. "Why are you on stilts?"

"Oh!" the guy beamed. "Because else I couldn't get his face and my face in the frame!"

Which made a weird kind of sense but also who had giant stilts just lying around? How far had this guy walked with (on? that was a terrifying thought) giant stilts just to get a selfie with Clyde.

The guy moved around the skeleton, coming up to the window, and while Alex thought he should probably be more concerned, the closer the guy got, the more he realised he was very, very pretty. Besides, if he was a creep, he'd be easy to topple over.

"I'm Willie!" Stilt Guy said.

"Alex," Alex said. "Do you always have giant stilts with you, or did you make a special trip just to meet Clyde?"

"His name is Clyde?" Willie's smile became even wider. "I mean, I had them in my backpack, I just did a shift at the Hollywood Ghost Carnival. They're collapsible. You'd be surprised how handy they can be!"

"Uhuh. I bet you rescue a lot of kittens stuck in trees," Alex said sarcastically, and okay, maybe a little flirtatiously. Listen, it wasn't ever day that a handsome stranger hovered outside your bedroom window wanting to chat.

And so they did. For like half an hour, Alex sitting in the window sill and Willie shuffling around on his stilts. He told the story of Clyde the Pride Skeleton, Willie told him about his job at the Carnival, and they both flirted up a storm.

Alex was just about to offer Willie to come inside (through the window, through the front door, whatever would be easier in the giant stilts), when Reggie came running down the street.

"Guys, do we have a ladder?" he called. "Mr Emerson's cat is stuck in a tree in front of the Molina's house and she sounds so sad, we gotta help her out!"

Willie met his eyes. The mischievous smile was back.

Alex groaned. Okay, so he'd been proven wrong. "Actually I think we got something that will work!" he called down, and when Reggie turned to look, his face lit up.

Maybe afterwards, they could still grab a coffee or something. You know, on the ground like normal people.

[hometoursandotherstuff]

Thanks to nice-and-quiet for sending this 1910 purple Edwardian in Bridgeport, Connecticut. It's a 2 family currently being used as a single family. According to the description, it can be converted back by replacing a wall that was taken down, so they don't list how many bds. and baths there are. $399K.

I imagine that the wall they removed was here in the entrance hall b/c these would be the stairs to the 2nd fl. apt.

The wall would likely go where the column is. Isn't that unusual? They exposed a chimney and placed a decorative structure around it.

Two sitting rooms may have been combined into one.

This home is very creative. Look at the dining room ceiling. And, there's also a fireplace.

The kitchen is adorable. The floor looks original and look at the reproduction stove. They even built in an armoire for a pantry. Looks like they put beams on the ceiling, too. Look at the little island they made out of a nightstand.

This looks like a bedroom upstairs.

I don't care much for what they did with this kitchen. I'm thinking that a wall was taken down to make it one open space.

If this was turned back into a 2 family, this could be a combination kitchen/living room.

This is one of the bathrooms and it's been remodeled.

Not sure what they did here. Is that a glass wall? I wish they would've shown this piece on the right. I want to say it's a fireplace?

In the attic, literally under the eaves, is a cozy apt. Cute living room.

Here's a little dining area.

Cute kitchen. This is very creative.

Here's a cozy bedroom too. I love the wall.

And, here's a nice vintage bathroom. They made a cute apt. without having to open the roof.

There's a balcony up here.

Looking down at the yard- love the checkered lawn.

What a lovely garden.

It's like a fairytale.

This is the front of the stone garage. It looks medieval, doesn't it?

And, this back, so you park around the block and come out the back of the garage.

What a unique, creative home.

[compassionatereminders]

Some people may see you as a weed, but like dandelions you are valuable. "Weeds" are just another term for pioneering plants that convert biological wastelands to lush ecosystems once again. You give people hope that one day our barren lawns can bloom once again. Your strength against adversity helps others find their own. Keep being a weed. Soon we can open a way for everyone to thrive.

Hell yeah! In my garden there's room for weeds and wildflowers cause we all deserve to bloom! ✊️

[nerdyqueerandjewish]

Seeing a post about how it’s fine and maybe good to plant to have aggressive non-native plants because they aren’t invasive and it’s like. Ok. But. If it’s an aggressive plant and doesn’t have anything in this ecosystem to naturally keep it in check…. That’s how we get new invasive plants. Also, getting something recognized as an invasive species is a legal/regulatory function of governments so you know that’s always like 3 steps behind where it needs to be.

Like I’m not a purist. I’ll leave well behaved non-native species, like hostas, for now, as I’ve been converting my lawn and garden. I’ve seen pollinator conservationists talk about aiming for 75% native plants, which seems reasonable to me. But like if I’m going to spend my limited funds on something I’m going to pick something with the maximum benefit.