LAWNS to GARDENS
‘I CAN WALK OUT AND SEE WHAT’S FOR DINNER’ Grants Pass woman’s front yard serves as attractive food garden
Her shady side yard is devoted to One side of her yard is separated from her neighbor’s yard by a peach lettuce greens, which would wilt if exposed to the full sun in summer. tree, an apple tree and a plum tree Kimball gives her planter beds a trained to grow espalier-style on a slow, deep watering once a week, trellis. then ups the watering to twice a The peach tree produced several By Vickie Aldous week when temperapeaches its first year, Mail Tribune To keep the tures get above 90 then a bumper crop of degrees. She suppleabout 80 peaches last view attractive ments the soil with year despite its diminufor neighbors, hen Kimberly Kimball egg shells, chemtive size. Kimberly Kimball ical-free fertilizer moved into her new house, “It’s amazing what she quickly went to work turning her you can get out of such advises putting and, at the end of the front lawn into a food garden. a small space,” said plants next to the season, chicken or cow Her house in Grants Pass has a manure. Kimball, who turned sidewalk that will tiny backyard, plus the front yard is some of the peaches Because she’s still the area that receives the full light stay green all year. carrying out big projinto pies, froze others of the sun. Kimball had experience ects like building new and served many to creating a front yard food garden at people she hosted at her house for planter beds, Kimball estimates she her previous home. spends about four to eight hours get-togethers. “I had done it before so I knew how working on her garden each week. Strawberries, root vegetables, to make it look not ugly. You don’t But the time outside is a welcome tomatoes, flowers for cutting and want to upset the neighbors,” she said. more round out the front yard garden. hobby for Kimball, who works as an To start, Kimball put thick cardon-call hospice nurse for patients Neighbors who walk by delight board down on patches of her front in seeing the garden as it grows and spread throughout Jackson and Josephine counties. changes over the year. The plants lawn, then built raised planting attract bees and butterflies, adding “Digging was always my stress beds on top of the cardboard. She relief. Being able to work in the dirt filled the planting beds with organic to the color and liveliness of Kimball’s front yard. is absolutely critical to me,” she said. raised bed potting mix. Fewer weeds grow in raised planting beds, and when they do, they’re easier to spot and pull out. To keep the view attractive for neighbors, Kimball advises putting plants next to the sidewalk that will stay green all year. She has hardy kale plants that have flowered with yellow blooms. “I try to have something that will still be there in the winter so it’s not barren,” she said. One planter bed near her front door is filled with a small bay leaf tree, thyme, parsley, scallions and chives. Chives help ward off pesky bugs. “It’s easy to get to. I can walk out and see what’s for dinner,” Kimball said. She said mint tends to take over, so she grows the fresh-smelling VICKIE ALDOUS/MAIL TRIBUNE herb in pots to keep it under control. Kimberly Kimball works in her front yard food garden at her Grants Pass house.
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4/23/2022 12:38:32 PM
