I’m a great advocate of yard sharing. In the suburban neighborhood where I live, most houses have large yards. Most of these yards are covered in grass and a few selected shrubs, annuals, and the occasional tree. In the spring and summer, people go out and dedicatedly mow this grass, remove the clippings, and fertilize what is left. It seems to be a form of madness to me, but then again I have always been more partial to moss and vegetables than to lawns.
Our family lives in a townhouse. Our townhouse has the typical postage-stamp sized garden. On the side of the garden, I have just over one hundred square feet of garden space. According to the square foot gardening guidelines, that’s more than enough to provide vegetables for my family. Unfortunately, it’s also fairly inaccessible and shady, so the options for vegetables are rather limited.
I yearn for more land, but since homes around mine easily reach close to the one million dollar range, that’s out of the question. So in a year or so when I have my garden in hand, I’m planning to share a yard with someone else, preferably someone with sunshine!
What is yard sharing? It’s matchmaking for gardeners and landowners. There are landowners who have land covered in grass and want to use it for other purposes, but they don’t have the time. There are gardeners who have shady or small gardens and want to grow food, but they don’t have the land. Yard sharing programs like our local web site Sharing Backyards connect gardeners and landowners with each other in the hopes that one can grow food on the other’s property.
It’s a scenario that does have its social challenges, since you are gardening on someone else’s property. However, those who have experienced it often say that it leads to relief and friendship and an increased sense of community on the part of the landowner and the gardener.
What do you think? Would you garden in someone else’s yard? Would you let someone else garden in your yard?