Category Archives: backyard farm

Setting up a Backyard Greywater System

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Laura Allen at her Oakland home with her backyard chickens. (She has moved since the story)

The drought is really hitting us hard in California. Hills that are normally green with life this time of year are bone dry and dead. In my house, five minute showers are the new normal and I’m using dirty dishwater to water my plants. I think it’s finally time to get serious about greywater.

I learned a lot about grey water when I met Laura Allen who I wrote about in Backyard Roots. She spent four years changing greywater laws that now make simple laundry to landscape systems  legal and permit-free in California. It’s a big deal considering just five years ago it was almost impossible to set up such a system. The system waters trees, bushes, and perennials (not vegetables)  and works best if your garden is downhill from your washing machine (although your washing machine is capable of pumping water uphill a short distance.) It involves adding a vented three way valve at the highest point that will allow you to decide if you want to irrigate your yard or send the water down the drain. The valve is an important feature that  lets you to shut it off if you want to use bleach, for example.  Besides adding a valve and having the pipe exit your house directly you’ll need to plan a branched drain system and that’s where the fun begins (as in lots of digging) San Francisco has a very informative brochure that you can download for free that will tell you everything you need to know and you can find an installer or take a workshop at Greywater Action, the group that Laura helped  start.  Putting in a greywater system is a way to really make a difference in your water usage and with a well-planned system it will last years.

Laura Allen Erskine 510.923.0676

Laura Allen (right) with roommate Cleo Woelfle-Erskine with their early greywater system that filtered the water through a bathtub filled with cattails. It’s much easier now.

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A three way valve above the washing machine allows you to decide if you want to irrigate your garden.

 

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The simple laundry to landscape system works for tree, bushes and perennials. For edibles you’ll still need to use either rainwater or tap water.

 

 

 

A Backyard Farm Evolves in Seattle

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Tom and Didi with their backyard La Mancha goats in Seattle.

Sometimes there’s no grand plan to having an urban farm, it just happens. That’s the way it went with Tom and Didi’s Seattle backyard. Didi had always been a big gardener and wanted chickens, so growing vegetables and getting chickens was easy. Next a friend needed someone to take over her bee hive, so they adopted the hive and got bees.  And then they met Jennie Grant, a neighbor whose son went to school with the Burpee kids. When Jennie needed help getting backyard goats legalized they naturally gathered signatures for the petition. (Jennie Grant’s  story is in Backyard Roots.) Tom even made a hilarious music video about the process called Justice League Blues. Check it out, the entertainment value is high! After tasting how good  fresh goat milk was,  the Burpee family became interested in the idea of getting goats. The deal was sealed when Jennie’s baby goat needed a new home. Tom says at that point the backyard became “the land of milk and honey.” Now the animals and garden is just part of the daily routine.

Tom cautions others to not “jump into goat-keeping lightly.” The amount of work that goats require is a lot more than chickens. He and Didi milk the goats twice a day for up to 18 months after they give birth. He says a big part of  being successful requires having patient neighbors. “Bribe them regularly with cheese, eggs and honey,”  he advises. It’s also crucial to have friends and neighbors trained to help you milk the goats when you need a break. The Burpees have La Mancha goats that tend to be quieter, calmer and better milk producers than other small breeds.

Tom and Didi haven’t pushed their kids with lots of farm chores but the two girls help collect eggs, harvest honey and  like to cook and eat whatever is in season. Ada is the expert in making goat milk ice cream in exotic flavors like candied ginger and they both love having the animals, especially the baby goats.

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Ada (left) and Mette on the back steps with chickens.

 

Ada looks for eggs (left) and walks Phyllis, the goat. Since these photos were taken, Phyllis has gone on a diet and lost close to 50 lbs. They found controlling her food portions of everything except hay and walking her regularly helped her get down to a healthy size.

Ada looks for eggs (left) and walks Phyllis, the goat. Since these photos were taken, Phyllis has gone on a diet and lost close to 50 lbs. They found controlling her food portions of everything except hay and walking her regularly helped her get down to a healthy size.

Dyptich-Tom

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The chickens love cat food and take the opportunity to steal it whenever they can.

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Didi makes remakes used feed sacks into purses and bags.

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Ada and Tom walk Phyllis the goat, who has since lost close to 50 lbs.