Summer is coming. Do you have a yard?

Question

If you do, are you going to mow it? Water it? Plant a garden in it?

With all of the recent attention on rising fuel costs, and rising food costs, do you plan on paying for the gas to mow and paying for the water to grow an entire plot of a plant that you can't eat?

I don't have a yard, I live in an apartment, but I'm still sprouting seeds with the intention of either growing them on my balcony or finding a plot of land somewhere. So, for those of you who have easy access to land, what are you going to do with it?

Answer 1

I live in the south and i live on a farm so yea i am probably going to mow and plant a garden this summer!

Answer 2

I do have a yard.  Yesterday, I spent much of the day digging out a plant I can't eat from a strip of land south of the house.  I left in three ornamental plants that do require water, but I put garden fabric around each and put mulch over the top of the fabric to keep what water I do use in the soil.  Now, Instead of a strip that required frequent watering and mowing once a week, I'll have a strip that requires no mowing at all, just an occasional "bend down and pull a seedling weed."  I should be able to keep up with water requirements from the rain barrel that I set up when we first moved in.

Over the last two summers, I did the same thing to a large section of the back yard, but put in native plantings that required no additional water past the occasional rain.  

I started the project before the price of gas went up.  Water is a bigger concern for me down here.  Saving the gas is just a byproduct.

Answer 3

This question bores me. im going back to polls and serveys..

Answer 4

ofcourse!

Answer 5

yeS...i MoW iT, WaTeR iT...aND i CaNT WaiT To SLiP N SLiDe iN THe SuMMeR...

Answer 6

good make sure u help the enviromet more

Answer 7

Some people can be so rude...I think it is wise to look at what we spent our money and time on...is a green lawn the be all and end all of summer projects.

I also live in an apartment and will be putting plants out on the balcony...I would also like to start a community garden!

We should all do our little part to help any way we can!

Answer 8

I tried for three years to grow crops in my back yard.  I ended up with more weeds as the neighbours don't bother tending their yards and frankly the soil is ROCK HARD CLAY in this area.  So I gave it up after three summers of trying.  Just didn't have the time for it.  My parents on the other hand have a massive garden and grow all kinds of crops and enough for both my sister and I and I and our families and we just love it.  We have everything from greens and tomatoes and peppers, eggplants, beans, even fig trees!  I would love to have a greenhouse and grow plants in a controlled environment.  I do have an herb garden however and enjoy using the herbs for cooking.  I grow garlic and onions too.  I grow most of those in planters with purchased soil.

Answer 9

I have 2.5 acres to mow. I've never had to water it since during the late spring and summer we get a fair amount of thunderstorms every few days. And yes I will pay for gas as my John Deere won't run without it. I'm not a farmer or have any interest in botany so I guess I'll just keep mowing.

Answer 10

We will have a garden this year.. We have a big yard and we do not water it. If it rains it stays green. We will only be mowing twice a month also. Good luck with your plants. I saw a TV special where folks in the city were growing gardens on empty lots. good idea.

Answer 11

Over the last 11 years we've been converting the landscape here to California native plant species.  We've kept some of the front lawn, for the all-important curb appeal, if we decide to uproot ourselves, and for the grandkid.  I've got quite a few bird species, lizards, all kinds of beneficial insects -- the bees in the compost bin are a bit of a nuisance, but the mourning cloak caterpillars in the willow were cool -- and I really don't have to water that much.  This year I planted some thirstier natives in the back where the lawn around the fruit trees used to be, and time will tell whether they take and whether I decide it's worth the time and money to keep it watered.

Until my husband sells the old Ford truck, I don't have an area to plant veggies.  When the truck goes, I'm getting about half a dozen whiskey barrel planters and starting some zucchini, tomatoes, and I don't know what else.

Good for you for growing things on your balcony.  That would be a perfect spot for you to do some worm composting.  That or under the sink in the kitchen .....

Almost forgot: when we moved in the first thing we did was buy an electric mower.  It's so much better than a gas mower.

Answer 12

Yes, not much, never- don't have to mow it if its dead, plan to till up almost the entire back yard and plant it in something that will annoy my neighbors; maybe wheat that will attract birds?