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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:
Yeah, that's the direction I'm in. One thing is that I don't know a ton of places like what I want to do. I'm worried about if I just let it grow if there's something that should be in there that isn't, or if something invasive will take over.
I really don't know much about local resources beyond department of natural resources and conservation. Although, I'm sure there are some bee groups that might know of something I don't.
Local extension office might be helpful
https://www.uaex.uada.edu/about-extension/united-states-extension-offices.aspx
Idk how they work in every state but I think most of the time they’re connected to one of the state universities, their job is to do public outreach and education and give environmental advice to like farmers and home gardeners.
Thanks for this. I have been meaning to call them. I know they do stuff like this.
I'm gonna assume you're in the US because of the name lol. Here's a guide listing all states with their cooperative extension links. All of them are pretty much just landing pages you'll have to look further into, usually there are local offices that may be in your county or at least adjacent. They help with small farms, argriculture, natural resources, development, etc. They're literally paid and whole purpose is to answer your questions and be there as a guide for you, some of them are extremely awesome, encouraging, and absolutely love their jobs when they can help someone. A lot of them offer workshops and classes for families as well, I've done some blueberry and one bee event (made me realize I wasn't ready lol).
So looking into it more, found some interesting history bits I wasn't aware of. The Cooperative Extension and 4-H program was developed by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and covers all states.
4-H is a U.S.-based network of youth organizations whose mission is "engaging youth to reach their fullest potential while advancing the field of youth development" Its name is a reference to the occurrence of the initial letter H four times in the organization's original motto head, heart, hands, and health, which was later incorporated into the fuller pledge officially adopted in 1927.
The goal of 4-H is to develop citizenship, leadership, responsibility and life skills of youth through experiential learning programs and a positive youth development approach. Though typically thought of as an agriculturally focused organization as a result of its history, 4-H today focuses on citizenship, healthy living, science, engineering, and technology programs.
USDA saw that adults in the farming community did not readily accept new agricultural discoveries. However, educators found that youth would experiment with these new ideas and then share their experiences and successes with the adults. As a result rural youth programs became a way to introduce new agriculture technology to the adults.
The Cooperative Extension System is a non-formal educational program implemented in the United States designed to help people use research-based knowledge to improve their lives. The service is provided by the state's designated land-grant universities. In most states, the educational offerings are in the areas of agriculture and food, home and family, environment, community economic development, and youth and 4-H.
Traditionally, each county of all 50 states had a local extension office. This number has declined as some county offices have consolidated into regional extension centers. Today, there are approximately 2,900 extension offices nationwide.
Since 2005, the Extension system has collaborated in developing eXtension.org (pronounced "e-extension"). eXtension is an Internet-based learning platform where Extension professionals and citizens nationwide and beyond have 24/7 access to unbiased, research-based, peer-reviewed information from land-grant universities on a wide range of topics. Information is organized into articles, professional development resources, news, frequently asked questions, and blog posts that provide a knowledge-to-action service that has become an integral part of the Cooperative Extension System. In 2015, the nonprofit, member-based eXtension Foundation was created to advance innovation and technology-enhanced professional development going forward.
The wiki link for the cooperative extension system above also has listing for state resources to better hone done your area. Doing all the research alone and on the internet which has 5 million results can be daunting. These spaces give the ability for local experts to chime in without being drowned out in a larger national or world-wide stage. If you need any more resources or want me to look into your local area just message me. I love these people and their commitment so connecting you to them is a plus for both parties.
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.
Rough about the septic, comrade. I replaced mine last year.
I actually don't know how much I need in terms of weight, but something around 300k - 350k Sq ft for that field. I don't know what I'm doing with the rest yet, but that's where I'm starting.
Also, this xerces guide is neat, I'm looking through it. And thanks for the seed place. They pretty reputable? I don't want something invasive mixed in.
yeah, ernst was recommended to me by my state's department of conservation. we specified the seed mix by %weight and they mixed it for us. no invasives in my planting (yet lol)
since you brought up the septic / dug up area, i have heard from folks around here that work for a conservancy that they've had good results sowing wildflower plugs into existing lawns instead of doing extensive site prep. Once the wildflowers start growing, the lawn becomes uncompetitive as it gets shaded out. I want to try that next year I think with seed plugs started indoors from my existing plantings, because site prep was really difficult and seed is expensive. @happybadger@hexbear.net might also have some thoughts on this
Okay, cool, thanks. I know conservation will provide a seed listing, if nothing else. It's just a big investment. I didn't say this earlier, but I'm definitely going to do a test spot this year and see how it goes. I'm not able to drop serious cash on seeds without knowing how it's gonna go, to some degree.
I'd be interested in trying some plugs. I'm just lucky enough to have some equipment, so I can turn over some ground pretty quickly.
The plug thing seems really compelling for expansion. You could just sew a tenth of an acre or something then let it grow and if it looks good, mow it down then take plugs from that same plot for transplanting in the spring. If what they said about the grass competition is accurate then it wouldn't take too long to turn a little meadow into a lot of meadow. Keep us posted on how it goes!
Rewilding can be a pain in the ass. Your state should have a land grant university. They'll have a horticultural extension office at the county level which includes planning agents, native plant nursery connections, and regional best practices. Our local one is like the most knowledgeable horticulturist in the region.