Death to America
God, I have a ton of lawn. Few acres of it, really. Got quite a bit more of other stuff. I gotta figure out what I’m gonna do with it.
Right now my back field is just all grown up and a guy cuts it for hay. I’m planning on a wildflower meadow back there, and keeping some bees. Gotta get my tractor ready and all planned out to see what I’m gonna plant and how I’m gonna do it.
The lawn portion I’m not sure. My food plot will go there certainly, but that’s only so much. Maybe I’ll tear it out and do all clover at first. Idk. I’m open to suggestions.
If you’re actually going for real nature, consider your local ecology. Do not by a large pack of wildflowers because those are nationally packed and usually aren’t considered native so can be invasive (which can also effect your local wildlife and the plant won’t fair as well in extreme’s for the area that a local plant would survive). Remember, bugs and animals come back to an area knowing a certain species of plant is there for them to survive or reproduce at, making more competition they aren’t familiar with harms their chances.
I would consider letting it grow naturally up and if you really want to do something than let the neighbor know so they stop cutting it down for hay (just make sure you’re actually gonna do something with it). Let the natural seeds that distribute get into the area and establish. Learn to take clippings and identify local flora when you see a cool plant you want, like a more scientific pokemon game if that interests you.
I’m doing something similar with some acres the previous owners just continued to massacre with mowing and looked like a barren wasteland. It took a few years for the right establishing plants to grow up and protect the other smaller and more delicate plants but this year is the first year it looks like a natural environment. I’ve been identifying what each growth is and it’s been fascinating researching them. Right now it’s a mini bee sanctuary because something is always in bloom and for the times only one plant-type is blooming I’m taking clippings and propagating them elsewhere on the property so there’s always a bunch of flowers at any point in the year.
I would start with propping up your local bee community since they survive on their own and you may fall in love with them. I have a bunch of ground and carpenter bee’s in my area that I don’t want to harm with an invasive colony like the honey bee’s. There’s also TONS of local honey producers so I just feel like I’m running after a gimmick since it’s already available and there are bee groups I can join that go to all the different farms for education and socializing. Any bee person would love some help if you went out and joined them.
If you want to get really technical, there’s landscaping creating berms and swales etc. But to get started I suggest watching some Andrew Millison videos as he’s great with visuals and knows his stuff when it comes to permaculture. How to Fix a Broken Ecosystem
Well, it only gets cut like once or twice a year now. There’s some stuff established, but it’s really big for me to be going through and taking clippings. Possible, for sure, but with a few small kids, my time is at a premium.
Idk, really. I’ll see who gets back to me from local offices.
Well the clippings would come from like a vacant lot you drive by or the side of the road you see a really nice bush in some thickets that are flowering. Anything you see that’s local and you enjoy (collecting them all kinda thing). There are plant identification apps but make sure to doublecheck with an online source before you plant them in your yard where the conditions are best for them to thrive (lighting, drainage, etc).
I’m not sure about your area but there are cool local resources you can find. We have a local co-op that’s in every county that run free classes and just basic resources (like soil test kits, just cool people with information). If you get time it might be worth it to look into if you’re into it. No doubt it’s tough with kids though, the best part is you want to be as hands-off with a natural landscape as possible so you’re going the right direction lol.
I found a YouTube link in your comment. Here are links to the same video on alternative frontends that protect your privacy:
If you have a tractor you are made in the shade. Kill the lawn by repeated tilling then plant wildflower seeds from Ernst
Here is a good PDF guide for organic site prep
Reach out to your state’s department of conservation they love encouraging this and are happy to help
I do have a tractor, which I absolutely love. Unfortunately, my beautiful old gal is going to the tractor doctor, but trying to get her ready to plant this fall.
Yeah, I talked to a department of natural resources guy at the state fair, and received a free packet of wildflower seeds, but I need like a few hundred pounds of it. I gotta email some people.
I’ll check these links, hopefully find a good seed mix.
https://www.ernstseed.com/ for seeds
Your dnr can recommend a species blend and Ernst will mix it up for you. If you truly need hundreds of pounds it’s gonna be eye wateringly expensive. I think I paid like 300 bucks for 4000 square feet worth. Then the septic failed and half of it got dug up lol.
I would do a small space first and see if it takes. There might even be grants and stuff for doing large areas.
