Backyard Farmers Really Produce

By: Jackie Varriano | July 29 2011
Posted in Eugene - Grow It - Eugene

Urban gardener Jan Spencer, right. Photo by: Jackie Varriano

The prospect of turning part of, or your entire yard, into a food-producing garden can be exciting or overwhelming. One of the best ways to get inspired is by taking a look at other gardens in your area, and one of the most fun ways to do it is to join a Green Neighbor (not just) Bike Tour, hosted by Eugene Sustainability, a project of the Eugene Neighborhood Leaders Council.

Throughout the summer, the tours invite people to visit neighborhoods, view gardens, and learn more about permaculture, green energy, rainwater collection, raising chickens, and more. If a tour-type atmosphere isn’t for you, try walking around your 'hood and chatting with gardening neighbors. A bountiful garden could be just a fence line away. In the meantime, here are a few different area gardeners at different stages of their gardening careers.

To the untrained eye, Jan Spencer’s yard may look overgrown and crowded - but to a gardener, it’s a food paradise. Not one to waste space, Spencer tore out his driveway to make room for pole beans and a walnut tree. He’s even got a grape trellis trained over his garage. “I’ve got plans for an edible food tunnel with pole beans, marion berries, carrots, and winter squash,” Spencer explained during the tour of his giant garden. Spencer has 1,600 gallon and 3,000 gallon rainwater tanks on his property, a large greenhouse, fruit trees, and a few chickens roaming the grounds. With the help of Heiko Koester, an ecological garden consultant, Spencer has been able to make the most of his space (in regards to sunlight, soil, and weather) and is almost completely self-sufficient when it comes to food production. He maintains a site on suburban permaculture and has spoken on the subject on a national level.

Randy DeBoard and his shared garden.

On the other end of the spectrum are Randy and Nancy DeBoard, neighbors of Spencer’s. Their backyard doesn’t receive enough sunlight to have a garden, so they’ve gotten creative. Nancy’s sister lives a few blocks away and has a large, sun-filled yard. She agreed to let the DeBoards use part of the yard for a garden this summer. Of course, everything has been a learning experience. “As it turns out, weed screens create an ideal environment for slugs,” said Nancy. In addition to pest control, sharing garden space with another family isn’t always roses. “Negotiating collaboration is difficult,” said Randy. “Politics can come into play.” Things to consider when thinking about sharing garden space are watering costs and weeding responsibility. “When I get home from work, I’m tired and I have enough to do in my own yard before thinking of coming over here to do weeding,” said Nancy. Despite the bumps including lost crops due to pests, the DeBoards aren’t discouraged from gardening, but rather say they will make changes before next season.

Cathy SanFilippio stands next to her snap pea vines.

Another case of trial and error is displayed at the home of Cathy SanFilippio and Jude McHugh. After 40 years of gardening in all different types of climates, SanFilippio says, “Realize your limitations. I grow the stuff that grows, and work a little harder for peppers and tomatoes because I don’t want to live without them.” When McHugh and SanFilippio moved into their Southeast hills home, they had to completely overhaul their yard before gardening would be possible. McHugh built ledges into the steep hillside, cut back trees, built up soil beds, and started composting. “Luckily I like to make soil, and she likes to grow,” said McHugh. Their garden has progressed to the point that during summer months they don’t buy any produce except fruit, and only buy a few things in the winter. SanFilippio learned to garden from her mother and grandmother, and although she hasn’t taken any specific gardening classes, she attributes her knowledge to living in remote areas. “I used to live a place that you had to cross country ski in 12 miles in the winter. We really ate off the land,” said SanFilippio. “I did a lot of foraging, and learned by trial and error.”

She’s got a few tricks up her sleeve as a result. For example, she gets big mattress bags from furniture stores to place over tomato plants in the fall, creating a mini greenhouse and prolonging the growing season.

Whatever your gardening dreams may be, going on a garden tour and getting to know your neighbors is a great first step! 

Jackie Varriano is a Eugene-based writer experimenting with container gardening for the first season. Keep up with her at seejackwrite.tumblr.com.