My 100 foot diet for 2012

Over spring break not only did I attend the BCTF AGM, I also had a colleague deliver a truck load of horse shit to my house in order to begin my annual 100-foot diet.

Seeing as it is my goal to have a 100-foot diet, I try not to use stuff from too far away. Yes the horse shit came after the BCTF AGM by truck, but the garden boxes themselves were built from lumber discarded by my neighbour that I was able to carry home.

Last fall as the leaves dropped I raked them up and piled them on top of the garden boxes until they were stacked super high. People laughed and asked how I would ever be able to plant anything on this heap of leaves.

Over the winter the leaves composted in site and reduced themselves to a manageable depth. On top of the leaves I piled the horse shit. During the last few days of heavy rain that has also reduced down to a manageable depth.

Because we live on a relatively busy street we do not spend much time in the front yard.

For this reason I saw fit to add a garden box of recycled lumber to our front yard. I like the raised garden boxes because I do not need to bother with breaking up the sod. All I do is lay down a thick layer of flattened out cardboard boxes and then pour the fill on top. The cardboard is a great layer to stop the grass from growing up and through time it mulches.

On top of the cardboard I lay in the manure. In the fall I will mulch the surface with leaves and compost.

Also, a couple of my composters had their integrity breached this last winter and so were no longer useful as such devices. So they became planters as well.

Today I planted these with Swiss Chard, sweet peas and some radishes. The one in the corner already has rhubarb growing in it. The peas can climb up the fence behind it.

It is a very empowering feeling to grow your own food. No matter how little space you have, you too can grow some of your own food. And there is nothing as tasty as food grown through your own efforts.

Enjoy.