Sask. green thumbs offer tips on how to ditch the lawn and grow food in your front yard
A growing number of gardeners are ditching lawns for more bio-diverse yards, say two Saskatchewan experts.
Some are growing vegetables on the front lawn, or turning their yards into mini prairie ecosystems by introducing more native plant species.
The are plenty of benefits, from lowering a home's water bill to attracting more bugs and wildlife for biodiversity, says Sandra Walker, an ethnobotanist in Saskatoon and author of The Path to Wild Food.
She says the typical grass used for lawns is actually an invasive species, so using native plants instead helps protect local ecosystems.
"What I have in the front yard is stuff that you would find in the woods or along riparian areas — native prairie. And those kinds of areas are one of the most vanishing ecosystems on the planet."
Before: A freshly planted front yard in Regina. Green thumbs say more people are turning their front yards into gardens for food and plants native to the Prairies. (Submitted by Candace Benson)
A business has even sprouted up to help people transform their front yards into vegetable and flower gardens.
"There's a big appetite to do something different with people's lawns, and they maybe just don't have the knowledge or the time to be able to do that," said Candace Benson, co-owner of City Street Farms in Regina.
"Basically, we partner with the homeowner. They provide the space and they pay their water bill and then we do all of the work."
The homeowner also gets to enjoy baskets of food and bouquets of flowers from their own yards. City Street Farms takes the rest to sell at the Regina Farmers' Market.
If you want to make the switch, here are five tips to start your own front yard garden and improve biodiversity.
Kill the grass
The first step to converting your lawn into a garden is removing the grass, Walker said.
At the end of the season, simply put a heavy tarp over the area you want to use as a garden or plant prairie species.
"Just lay it over that area for a couple months at least, maybe the whole summer and the whole winter," Walker said. "That will kill your grass in a really passive way. And then you could just kind of dig directly into that."
Start small
Don't rip up all your lawn just yet. Start with a small garden patch. If it goes well, expand it next year.
"You could have your own yard, use your neighbour's yard and go from there," Benson said.
"So it's a great way to learn without having to invest too much in something that maybe you don't end up liking that much."
After: The same yard in Regina, with plants sprouting and blooming. (Submitted by Candace Benson)
Potatoes first
The potato is a great first plant for a new garden because it helps condition the soil for the next season, Walker said.
"And then you're really getting rid of a lot of grass that way too, because the next year you're pulling it up again," Walker said. "So people often say plant potatoes and then the following year you'll be good."
Meet your neighbours
Lend your knowledge to neighbours and they might return the favour.
"I've learned so much from people in our neighbourhood," Walker said.
"You start to tap people on the shoulder and ask for a bit of help — 'Hey, do you know about this? And what could we add here?'
"It's pretty remarkable how there seems to be this growing community in Saskatoon that is interested in this."
Your yard will tell you what to plant
Choose plants that fit with your yard's environment.
Maybe your yard is covered in shade?
"Don't put a plant that wants to be in the sun," Walker said.
"I have a lot of little sedges that are growing in my front as well, which is native. It's not a grass, but it looks like grass.
"And if you're going to go long, that's what your lawn should be. Most people probably wouldn't even be able to tell the difference."
