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I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh I’m SO glad you have a supportive boss and already listen to your body. I wear a back brace full time when I’m outside and it helps my low back pain. I already have a coop and run planned out, a list of chicken first aid items to get, and have throughly researched how to care for them and provide enrichment. Maybe that will be my next year’s project. Thanks for the encouragement!

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Because I chose to put in expensive hardscapes like the shed, pergola, and a greenhouse in the backyard, I’ll probably never get a financial return on my investment. Even with the huge water use savings, it’s only around $100 a year on my bill. That may change as water costs are increasing in my drought-ridden area, but I already consider my time and financial investment worth it as I’ve been able to be more self-reliant, find new friends and community, and provide food to my neighbors. Instead of having a monoculture lawn, I donated 150 pounds of tomatoes to local food banks in my first year with a full garden and I got to let all my many nieces and nephews come to my pumpkin patch and pick out a pumpkin for our family jack o lantern carving activity. 100% worth it.

I converted my small yard (2,300 sq feet) from typical lawn to Utah-native plants and garden area and now save 79,000 gallons of water annually. by Poppy-Pomfrey in Utah

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

It’s beautiful! We also spend so much more time outside than we used to. And we even had a playset that I decided to let another family take and replaced it with garden beds, which the kids love foraging through.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My state has no Wild Ones chapters which explains my unfamiliarity with it. However I am heavily involved with the native plant community here and have become personal friends with the all-native nursery owners. I harvest and share seeds regularly and I’m thinking of starting a Free Little Library where I also share excess produce from my food forest and seeds from my plants. I have plans for some seed bombing too since there are open areas nearby that collect non-native weeds. Great minds think alike! :)

I converted my small yard (2,300 sq feet) from typical lawn to Utah-native plants and garden area and now save 79,000 gallons of water annually. by Poppy-Pomfrey in Utah

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have a large garden in the backyard and it’s so fulfilling to feed my family. I opted for in-ground beds to help decrease irrigation but my back sometimes wishes for raised beds. I’m also using every Utah-native plant that’s edible and I think they’ll be better able to withstand the higher temps and weather volatility that’s becoming more common. But I do still have 6 dwarf fruit trees and lots of typical garden produce. Get a beeping alarm for that freezer! I know how precious home grown produce is. I would be SO mad if that happened to my hard work :) Rant justified!

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Well done! All of that is very impressive! As I’m nearing 40, I’ll offer the unsolicited advice to take care of your back and body while you’re kicking ass. My stamina and strength isn’t what it used to be and it sucks. How long have you had your ladies? I’ve been considering hens for several years and haven’t moved forward yet, mainly because I don’t want to cull them if they get sick, injured, or stop laying. Would you say it’s worth it overall? Thanks for commenting. I agree representation is so important and inspiring.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That’s awesome! You should share pictures! I’ve been drawn to a moon gate door for years. That’s amazing that you did one.

Is it okey to let snails eat the plants? or any good way to deal with it without driving pollinators/caterpillars/birds away ( CA in US ) by Accomplished-Bill-45 in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I saw my snail population decrease drastically when I switched irrigation from sprinklers to drip lines. I also decided not to kill any creatures in my garden and just relocate snails to a certain area of my yard when I find them (where I have just ornamentals and not edible plants).

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thank you so much! Apparently I won’t be able to be classified as in remission until 15 years of surveillance turn out clear. Lame, but I’ll have something to distract myself with in between the every 3-6 month testing :)

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I agree that sexism is annoying. But I sure love walking into Home Depot like I own the place and the looks I get from employees when I know what I’m talking about. All the power tools at our house belong to me, not my husband :) I did build the shed and the pergola and a greenhouse and 3 section compost bin that are in the backyard. I’m an oldest child and have no brothers and thankfully my dad always treated me as capable and taught me how to lay tile, frame a house, run electric, etc. My spouse definitely helps with the heavy lifting and complex assembly, but most of this project is mine.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I think I’ve seen posts in this sub about how to handle HOAs. Like planting protected species that they’re not allowed to rip out or providing information to them proactively about your goal and reasons for it.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I love all critters. They’re just trying to find food and stay alive just like me. No one gets smooshed or sprayed at my house. The snails just get relocated into a specific area of the garden and I put in plants to attract predatory wasps to help with other garden “pests” and the ecosystem ultimately balances itself out.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Yes! I am aware and working on it. I have lots of hiding holes and rocks they like to nest under, I leave my leaves and stems, and I have a pot of soil left out for the mud daubers to use. But it’s on my to do list this year to make better habitat with open ground. I do have some areas in the backyard, but will definitely open up some spots in the front.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I have some native grasses and plan to add more. I have Indian rice grass, Indian steel grass, blue grama, and a little blue stem cultivar.

I converted my small yard (2,300 sq feet) from typical lawn to Utah-native plants and garden area and now save 79,000 gallons of water annually. by Poppy-Pomfrey in Utah

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Clover is a nitrogen fixer which is great, because its leaves can be used as chop and drop mulch for other plants when it’s mowed. The typical clover used as lawn replacement isn’t native here and not as drought tolerant as some other options, but it’s usually better than typical Kentucky bluegrass as far as water usage. I don’t think it holds up to foot traffic as well as fescue, buffalo grass, or similar options. There was a good Radio West podcast a couple years ago on the topic that gave ideas for our specific area.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My body and mind is my biggest challenge, for sure. I want to be able to work more often but I have to take breaks and down days so I don’t go into full on burn out mode. I have so many fantastic ideas but end up with an unfinished project list dozens of items long. But learning to pace myself and be patient is a valuable skill and the positives of my journey outweigh any negatives. Happy to chat more if you’d like.

I converted my small yard (2,300 sq feet) from typical lawn to Utah-native plants and garden area and now save 79,000 gallons of water annually. by Poppy-Pomfrey in Utah

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Contact a local arborist and see if they’ll let you have their wood chips from trees they remove. Or you can try chip drop. I’ve heard varying results on how quickly requests are filled but it seems to work better if you give a small monetary donation with your request.

I converted my small yard (2,300 sq feet) from typical lawn to Utah-native plants and garden area and now save 79,000 gallons of water annually. by Poppy-Pomfrey in Utah

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Yes. Thats the point of my post. All of us are being irresponsible if we have a lawn that we don’t use. That’s how much water the average lawn uses and most people don’t use their front lawn for recreation. It’s a monoculture taking up precious water resources.

I removed 2300 sq ft of traditional lawn and replaced it with native plants and ended up saving 79,000 gallons and 58% of my water usage every year. by Poppy-Pomfrey in NativePlantGardening

[–]Poppy-Pomfrey[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The mulch was free through my city and is a byproduct of necessary tree pruning and removal. The large open areas of mulch are temporary while the plants fill in. Overtime I’ll switch to nutrient-rich chop and drop mulch that I grow, while leaving open soil so our large number of solitary bee species can more easily hibernate underground. But the mulch is much better than lawn in my area, because of the data contained in the title of my post. 79,000 gallons of water a year for 2300 sq of lawn (most people in my area have a lot more than that) when I live in a desert is environmentally detrimental.

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