Healing Resolution for 2019 – Developing a Food Forest and Medicinal Hedgerow on the Urban Homestead
Last January I embarked on the daunting mental, emotional, physical and financially burdensome task of remodeling our urban home. We hired a general contractor, but all design and finishes were my roll, as we did not hire an architect. We (my partner, roommate, 4 yo child and I) squeezed into an improvised living space in our detached garage for the year while the house was in construction chaos. If it wasn't for the large outlay of funds needed to complete the project, I would have found the process more fun, but stressing over financial impacts of each decision was difficult. Finishing the task with my sanity intact was my major goal for 2018. The process was fast paced, all consuming and it is over, thank the stars. Our renewed (114 year old) home is beautifully restored and I am ready to move on to the next big thing, so it is a perfect time to set resolutions, goals, and intentions for 2019.
Now that the home is healed, my intention is to focus on the rest of the property, with a goal of creating a thriving food forest on the south side of our home, and a medicinal hedgerow in the west parking strip. Years of chickens and haphazard vegetable gardening have taken a toll, and it is time to plan, construct and tend the garden with greater intention. I’ve attached photos of the two areas so you can see what I have to start with. I am planning to post relevant research, design schematics, ideas, and progress photos as the year advances, and will be soliciting feedback from those of you kind enough to follow along.
Existing Parking Strip (Future Medicinal Hedgerow) Looking North
Existing Parking Strip (Future Medicinal Hedgerow) from Street
Existing Side Yard (Future Food Forest) Looking West
Existing Side Yard (Future Food Forest) Looking Southwest
Existing Side Yard (Future Food Forest) Looking South
Typically when I take on a big project, I use it as an excuse to be more lax about my health and wellness. A major bonus of this project is that I will be spending much time outdoors engaged in physical labor, and lots of bonding time with my partner and child too. The food forest project also supports many of my other healing resolutions for the year. In no particular order, here are my more general healing resolutions for 2019, although many of them are lifelong endeavors:
-Daily meditation
-Eat for health
-Regular exercise
-In depth practical study of western herbalism
-Up my parenting game
-Grow and prepare more food and medicine from our urban homestead
-Connect, laugh, sing, and celebrate with friends and family
-Victory over the toenail fungus :p
This post was written in response to the NATURAL MEDICINE NEW YEAR CHALLENGE: What's Your Healing Resolution? Entries are being accepted for a few more days.
It's a huge job. Take it step by step and don't rush. It took us 4 years to get ours functional
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We have a bit of terracing and hardscaping to do too, and I am feeling a little overwhelmed. One step at a time...
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It's the only way
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Yeah...The house remodel had too many steps happening at once, and now I'm looking forward to a project that can be worked on in discrete segments. The parking strip we may just do half this year, and half the next. That way we can learn from the first half. The side yard requires some terracing and hardscaping for a path through the yard, so we will start there. It feels doable, but daunting.
Hey, waitaminute... You stole my resolutions!
Wow, your property looks great for all that. Ain't it grand how much our resolutions can all work together like that? Gardening can be very meditative and good for our health in more ways than just nutritionally.
"All the world's problems can be solved in the garden." Geoff Lawton
Cheers and blessings! Nate
Oh good. We can compare notes this year. <3
Every single problem!
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Hey Nate, you know you can still use the stolen resolutions... I think they are pretty abundantly copyable!
Let me know if you figure out how to prevail over the toenail fungus... I'm happy to share goals with friends.
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Will do... so far though, my toenails have been great 👍
Looks like an amazing space can't wait to see the progress as it develops 💯🐒
Thanks. We're pretty excited.
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Wow... a blank slate for a food forest! Can't wait to see it come to fruition. What a resolution... love it!
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I think I am a little lax on eating healthy too when I'm involved in a large project... I will change that!
I'm curious for the medicine hedge, will you groe a little something on the street side where the grass is too? Your ppst is a good remi der that I need to start planning a food forest as well. Thanks
The location for the medicinal hedge row is on the sloped grassy area between the sidewalk and road. Best of luck on your health and gardening journey!
Yeah, nice. That's what I thought. Have fun and good luck with it 😁
oh wow..i can't wait to watch the food forest......unfold! :)))))
Thanks. Me too!