Here is a picture of the Big Plan for Peace and Fun Gardens! Zev Freidman and I worked on this plan over the course of about a year. The poster I read at Greenlife Grocery assured me that Zev was just the partner I was looking for. He specializes in long-term vision development, edible, medicinal and native plants, permaculture design and land restoration. Zev calls his business Urban Paradise Gardens. Zev really got what I dream of creating here and I’ve already learned so much.
He came over and we walked together on the property. We talked about my vision and all the kinds of plants I wanted to include. I want to use the principals of permaculture design and bio-dynamics to create habitat, grow food and build community. I want fruit trees and grape vines, veggies and flowers and berries. Zev turned me onto some great ideas, like using the shady slope under my big maple tree to create two native Southern Appalachian habitats — one acidic for flame azalea and rhododendron and one rich for things like dwarf iris and blood root.
He took soil samples and sent them off to the county extension office. He taught me about sheet mulching to create beds and build soil. The great thing about sheet mulching is NO DIGGING! I don’t need to buy a tiller or break my back digging. Just lay down the cardboard, wet it down, cover it with mulch. Next spring the space will be ready for planting. In fact this fall I’m going to put in some bulbs. I’ll just poke through the cardboard to lay the bulbs into the ground.
TheMichelleSmith 