Wonderful things happen in a small space

Matt's Amazing Garden

After taking care of some email business, Jeffrey and I took off in the morning for Sacramento to spend the day with the Adams family. It was fascinating walking through their backyard filled with growing plants that they use and eat and to watch all the various uses they are putting that small space to.

I watched some shows about compact, efficient mini homes. This is a mini garden. The backyard is not very big or wide. Matthew has set up two rows of plants and two compost bins in the backyard, a side yard that is used for seedlings and growing what he is going to plant next, a space for the kids to ride around on their bikes, and a place to sit or explore with water and sand. Amazing!

First layer of the garden. On the right are compost bins, then the gravel and stepping stones, and on the left are various flowers, vegetables and old corn stalks that are supporting the new beans coming up.

There is a huge variety of vegetables. Under the corn and bean stalks there are squash and cucumber plants running along the bottom row, then this nice wood chip path and many, many vegetables, berries and herbs growing along the fence. I barely recognized the neighbor's grapefruit tree that hangs over the yard. It used to be the only fruit bearing plant in the yard.

Note the wood chip walk way between rows. The chips came from all over the property and are used as weed abatement and also the smaller chips are used as mulch and to keep the ground wet. All plants are planted as seedlings as there is no space for new plants to just come up (like weeds) except right next to the plants that have been purposely planted.

Two more barrels with all kinds of vegetables growing out of them, a table for seedlings to get the morning sun and then the trash and waste cans - of which there is not much plant life in.

One corner has tomatoes and herbs

Small space for Kid Friendly options

Small place to ride

Place to explore with water and sand

A place to chat

A place to climb

I love the creativity that is all about life, growth, and sustainability surrounded by family.

Matt does not require his children to work in the garden, but lets them help out whenever they want to do something with him. He said they have gotten quite good at pulling weeds with him and are looking forward to the seedlings going into the ground.

Since Matt has had surgery and is very limited in his mobility, this is really a testament to living creatively. He does the things he can do and doesn't fret about the rest.