Canada: More Red Deerians are turning their front yards into edible gardens
A former nurse is community gardening on multiple private properties
By Lana Michelin
Red Deer Advocate
Jun. 18, 2022
Excerpt:
Jennica Taylor is helping turn some virtually unused Red Deer front yards into plentiful food forests.
Instead of caring for grass that has to be mowed, weeded and watered, Taylor is introducing homeowners to a “beautiful jungle” of perennials, fruit trees and vegetable beds in front of their homes.
By “farming” their little-used front yards, residents are reducing their food bills, enriching the soil and encouraging biodiversity, by attracting a greater variety of butterflies and birds, said Taylor.
“I love growing my own food, knowing where it comes from and how it’s grown,” added the entrepreneur, who launched her Daisy and Dill urban farming business this spring.
The former nurse now has seven gardens to care for — including the front yards of five city homes that are now sprouting broccoli, lettuce, asters, bee balm and squash.
So far, all of her business has been by word-of- mouth, said Taylor, who must first assess the yards of interested homeowners to see whether they get enough sun, or if they are too sloped to retain water.
