About us
Thank you for taking the time to learn about us and what we are trying to accomplish in our Backyard Eden.
We are a small family who decided to make a major life change by going from not caring about our food to a family that works hard to grow their own food. The change came after realizing supermarket food was not as it seemed. The journey began by researching gardening and all of the methods of growing our own food. We then started planning our first vegetable garden because we wanted to know exactly what went into the growing of our foods as well as where they came from.
THE BEGINNING
The first couple of years of our backyard eden were challenging but we managed to have a good harvest. In year three we moved from our fertile ground to a new town; a suburb as I like to call it of Dallas. That town was not known for farming due to the hard, compact soil to offer for gardening but there are people who managed. We moved from an acre to about a quarter of an acre lot. It proved to be difficult to plan everything that needed to happen in order to prepare the ground for planting. This time around we opted for a series of raised beds in order to up our chances of having success.
GO BIG OR GO HOME
We chose to go big for our first year at our new place and built nine raised beds ranging in size from 2’x8′ and 3’x8′ and it paid off in an amazing harvest in our first full year at the new place. Even though we have had successes and failures we are pressing on with the adventure that we started several years ago with our dream of becoming more self-sufficient and being able to provide ourselves with enough fresh produce from our garden to eat for the entire year.
During the six years at our urban homestead, we learned many new skills and hard lessons about gardening that caused us to want more. We decided that we wanted to continue to learn new skills and to become even more self-sufficient. We decided it was time to leave our tiny urban lot in search of a new homestead – one that will allow us to grow our own fruits, veggies, and our own sustainable meats.
THE NEW HOMESTEAD & THE FUTURE
In the Spring of 2019, we found ourselves with a unique opportunity. My wife’s grandparents had a beautiful little urban lot in the middle of our hometown of Canton Texas. Canton is the home of the world-famous First Monday Trades Day which happens to be one of the largest flea markets in the country.
My wife’s family wanted us to move in and take care of the property – so we agreed. The place consists of just over half an acre which is more than four times bigger than our old urban homestead. The property has a house, mature pecan trees, and fantastic soil. We had to build onto the current house to accommodate our large family but it is a small price to pay. We will be putting in fruit trees, berry bushes, and a variety of garden areas along with getting poultry and rabbits for sustainable meat sources. There will be tons of new opportunities for our family.
We would love for you to follow along with our journey.
Latest Blog Posts
- How To Grow Spinach Indoors
- How To Grow Cherry Tomatoes From Slices
- How To Grow Cucumbers Vertically
- How to Grow Cucumbers in Containers: A Beginner’s Guide
- Bucket Gardening: What Is It and How To Use It To Grow Food?
- 5 Gallon Bucket Garden Ideas: Unique Ways To Grow Vegetables In 5 Gallon Buckets
- Fire Pit Landscaping Ideas: Transforming Your Outdoor Space
- Banana Peppers Vs Jalapeno Peppers: What’s The Difference?
- Longevity Spinach: How To Grow Gynura Procumbens
- Compost Pile vs Tumbler: Which One Is Better?
