In many ways, I want to make this home of ours into a gem. We have an idea of what we want to paint, what we want to update and what we want to replace completely.
If the weather cooperates, this morning at the time of writing there is a heavy thunderstorm moving through, I hope to add some more rocks to my "Dry Creek" project and start/finish the often delayed fire pit build.
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| Taken from a window during a storm |
Well we did not plant a garden this year for a variety of reasons; we do have the room in front of the house for a wonderful and varied garden. It's also the part of our property that gets the most sun and has a very fine slope away from the home so water can flow out towards our road.
We may never be self sufficient but we can be a little smarter and environmental conscious on what we do, and how we do things. This is why I am thinking about letting some of our property “Go Wild."
We own roughly 2.5 acres, most of that is already wooded. If I were to make a rough guess I would say that roughly 1.25 acres makes up our living space. I'm not going to guess at the area that I've decided not to mow. We are talking several square yards however, maybe 100 to 125 or more? It is enough to make a small difference.
However I do that from previous mowing experiences that this area is full of rocks, exposed roots and ruts. I've already bent one mowing blade in this section this year. So letting it "go wild" for that reason alone makes sense to me. It will also slow down the natural erosion of the yard in general.
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| One of the various stumps |
Plus there is the savings in time and energy (not using gas) for not mowing this section of my yard, and if I'm being completely honest...it's a pain in the ass.
I know that it's really not the best grass in this area. I've never believed in fertilizing a lawn, preferring some clover and wildflowers to grow throughout it. Plus I know that if I can attract some bees that we are only benefiting a declining, and much needed species!
The more native plants thrive in Western Pennsylvania the better it is for the local environment and they will slowly encroach on that space.
I am not that worried about ticks or snakes or other issues. Nature has a way of taking care of itself, if I create an area where birds feel comfortable then they eat some of the nastier insects. Snakes can eat any field mice, etc. Plus our neighbor has several barn cats which help keep the small animal population in check.
I won't lie however, ticks are a concern. Luckily my "dry bed creek" will not only help with drainage but can serve as a natural barrier between the habitat that ticks like, and our living areas. Planting something like an American Beauty Berry bush not only helps ward off ticks, but mosquitoes as well. Its fruit is also edible and attracts some 40 species of birds. So this is a winner all around.
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| Common PA Daisy |
It's not native to western Pennsylvania however so I plan on calling the local University and see if there is a similar plant native to the area that I can plant on the edges to create a buffer zone between the "wilds" and the living areas. **Correction - it is a PA native plant and deer generally avoid the fruit. It's fruit is also edible by humans.**
Hopefully I can attract bats to a planned bat box which would also keep the "nasty bug" population in check.
The science is pretty solid on this. It's better for the environment, fights global warming, helps create habitat for a variety of animals, helps with water drainage, etc. So I'm going to let a portion of the yard "go wild" and see what happens. I may let a larger section of the yard "go wild" in the future, but for now I'm happy letting my chosen section go.
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