The homeowners removed both front and back lawns in 2008 solely to conserve water. The bonus was that they enjoy the spaces they created far more than they ever enjoyed a lawn.
In front, they added a half wall to create a front courtyard. In all, they created 3 additional seating zones in addition to the back patio. They enjoy relaxing with the garden view and enjoy the abundance of birds, bees and butterflies that flock to their Certified Wildlife HabitatThe sprinklers are on timers – turned off most of the winter and well into Spring, rarely running more than 5 minutes once a week. The pots are hand-watered using water captured in the shower and rain barrels. These changes reduced the water usage by at least 50% from when they had turf lawns.
The homeowners have made many green changes to their home. These include solar panels, EV charging for their electric car, a tankless water heater, solar tubes, and a whole house water filtration system that operates without using reverse osmosis.
Mark LeGrand of Compost Tea Guy will be on hand to answer questions. Last year, the homeowner began nurturing the garden by having Mark apply compost tea which is the perfect mixture of living biology - made from rich, living compost - and is chemical and synthetic free. When applied to the soil and plants it creates a healthy productive garden. Mark will also answer questions about best practices and maintenance of rain barrels. And you'll be able to purchase some compost tea to try on your garden.
