St. Louis, Missouri 8th Annual

Sunday, June 10, 2018 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.

Chickens • Bees • Missouri Natives Low Mow • Solar Power • Composting Recycled Materials • Edible Perennials • Pollinator • • Green Living Outdoors www.sustainablebackyard.org 3 3 Thank you... 3 to all our generous hosts, volunteers, community partners and sponsors whose support and willingness to share their knowledge helps us all realize a greener world. Welcome to the original tour! Not just a tour, the Sustainable Backyard 2018 Yard Hosts: Renee Benage, Cass Blackwood, Rebecca Bodicky, Tom Bradshaw, Tour is where we stand together to build a kinder, Gloria Bratkowski, Patty Carleton, Francine & Bob Case, Terri Cifton, healthier and more resilient community. EarthDance Farm, Matt Fernandez, Jillian Flesh, Ellen Harmon, Denise Heinz, Vela Hermann, Kristine Hildebrant, Stanley Jones, Jim Jordan, Dmitriy Kabargin, Gail Keelin, Kevin King, Scott Klein, Each yard you visit today is one small knot in a vast Matt Lebon, Anne Lehman, Chandan Mahanta, Jenny McComb, net that spreads across the world. It is a net that Barbara & Bob Nelson, Carla & Brian Nemmers, Susan Pang, Kraig Paradise, Dan Pearson, Jeffrey Pitts, AJ Rosenberg, connects and sustains us all as we work together Paulette Sankofa, Claire Schosser, Alicia Schnell, Lori Schuster, to rebuild and preserve healthy ecosystems. Every Cynthia Spiegel, Mark Swain, Jen Sweet, Nance Thier, Ben Thomas, Leslie Wainwright, Jessica Watson, Dawn Weber, Paul Whitsitt household that , installs solar panels, Missouri natives, or simply chooses organics 2018 Tour Organizers: over chemical and , grows that Brenda Adams, Vivian Brill, Patty Carlton, Suzanne Carron, Francine Case, Toni Easter, Jessie Hoagland, Ellen Holly, Phil Judd, net ever stronger! Scott Klein, Steven McGehee, Jane Sueme, Besa & Chris Schweizer, Ben Thomas, Dawn Weber More than 40 hosts welcome you today. Ask ques- Now in its 8th year, the uniquely St. Louis Sustainable Backyard Tour tions, take pictures, make notes! There is no start- is a grassroots production of The Sustainable Backyard Network, a 501(c)(3) public charity. ing point. Make your own route using the map as a guide, or download the BatchGeo version from our Board: website. We suggest you choose addresses close to Terry Winkelmann, Founding Director home, as they will have similar conditions, resources Beth Lewandowski, Vice President & Social Media Lori Strawbridge, Treasurer and ordinances. This is a rain or shine tour, so be prepared for both. Attendance Prizes Donated By: Audubon Society, BeeBarns, Brightside St. Louis, EarthDance Organic Farm School, Thank you for caring and learning; have a Green Spiral Tours, Hartford Coffee, great time!

Kitchen House Coffee, Local Grocery, OK Hatchery, Slow Food St. Louis, Urban Chestnut Brewing Co. Sincerely, Terry Winkelmann, Tour Founder and the 2018 Organizers Æ Æ If you haven’t registered to attend yet, you still can win prizes just by letting us know you attended this year’s tour! 3 Guide to the Yards

ANIMALS: Chickens, Ducks, Rabbits, Fish, Guinea Fowl, Goats BEES: Beekeeping/Bee Hives MISSOURI NATIVES: Plants providing food and shelter to local fauna HABITAT/ Edibles: , Organic , Perennial Edibles, , Mushrooms Renewable : Solar PV, Solar Pump, Oven, Lighting, Geothermal S WATER: Permeable Surfaces, Rain gardens, Rainwater Collection, Drip KID FRIENDLY FUN: Youth Activities LEVEL: Just Getting Started A Work in Progress Established

Map No. Name Address Area Zip Level S

Regenerative 29 Roselawn Ave. Fairview Heights 62208 1 Inspired by “Paradise Lot”, our front & back yards show what is possible with just a small amount of area. 20+ fruit trees, , garden, poultry paddocks, butterfly bushes,& more! We raise rabbits,• chickens, & ducks!• • • •

EarthDance Organic Farm School233 S. Dade Ave. Ferguson 63135 2 EarthDance Organic Farm School is a Certified Organic diversified farm in Ferguson. Come and see us and learn about , farming, and ! • • • • • • • •

Wild Bird Rehabilitation 9624 Midland Boulevard Overland 63114 3 Wild Bird Rehabilitation is a songbird hospital. Our gardens, designed by Susan Pang, are filled with life that provides sustenance for our native birds. • • Renee’s Place 15 Sandringham Lane Ferguson 63135 The focus of my yard is the use of native plants. There are at least 30 species of native plants 4 used in the . • • •

Kraig’s Garden 1389 Elenore Ave. Spanish Lake 63138 5 Naturescaping for birds and butterflies. Bees and chickens. Vegetables,berries. Funky yard art with found/recycled items. • • • • • • •

Living Low Acre 1519 Twillman Ave. Spanish Lake 63138 6 This acre lot features organically grown edible, native, and herb plants, an attached passive solar front porch, and rain barrels. • • • • •

Mahanta Prairie and Apiary16770 Old Jamestown Road Old Jamestown 63034 7 A tall grass prairie , 19 years old with a ten hive bee yard. • • • • • William A. Kerr Foundation Bldg. 21 O’Fallon St. Near North Riverfront 63102

8 This LEED-Platinum NGO building is an experimental work in progress, featuring rooftop garden, , solar panels, native landscape, permeables, rainbarrels, and a Riverfront View! • • • • •

Kids and Clover 2621 Victor St. Fox Park 63104 9 Low mow clover, edibles, natives, , budget and kid friendly. Always a work in progress. • • • •

The Fruitful Cube 3239 Lafayette Ave. The Gate 63104 10 Small urban with many different fruit trees, grapes, veggies and herbs. Solar, rainwater catchment, composting and . • • •

Rosenberg’s Rain Garden 2822 Victor Street Fox Park 63104 11 Fully permeable south city backyard with a focus on native plants, pollinator gardens, and homegrown produce. 90 square foot rain garden and permeable patio are highlights. • • • •

Kevin’s Native Plant Raingarden 1719-21 Simpson Place Lafayette Square 63104 This apartment backyard is landscaped with natives to maximize the space for both 12 wildlife habitat and tenants’ enjoyment. Rain with salvaged materials • • • • along with details about the MSD Project Clear grant program. Love & Peace Butterfly Garden 2712 N. 14th Street Old North 63106 My garden provides a beautiful resting and gathering place for friends and 13 neighbors. A colorful and whimsical space that provides a safe haven for butterflies, • • • bees, small local wildlife and food for neighbors.

Map No. Name Address Area Zip Level S

Decorative 1331 N. Market Street Old North 63106 14 Garden was two city lots with grass and weeds, now a mix of decorative, native and edible plants with rain garden, barrels and solar lighting. • • • • •

Matt’s Backyard Retreat 1227 N. Market Street Old North 63106 15 The focus of this yard is rainscaping and native plants. Diversity of plant types attracts many pollinators to a somewhat formal, somewhat naturalized space. • • • •

13th Street Community Garden 2710 N. 13th Street Old North 63106 16 Produce market rows, chickens, fruit trees, watering system, pollinator prairie, bee & butterfly games and information for kids and adults. • • • • • • •

Early Stage Orchard 4272 Washington Blvd. Central West End East 63108 17 Early stage back yard fruit orchard featuring several 3rd season espalier fruit trees. Also includes a couple of small herb/vegetable garden beds. And for the kiddos, there’s a wooden pirate ship to play on! • •

Historic 1892 Judson House 3733 Washington Blvd. Grand Center 63108 18 26 fruit bearing trees and large grape arbor. All the fruit trees are used for landscaping use and consumption. I have four beehives for pollination of the trees and consume some of their honey. • • • • •

Hidden Alley Ranch 2366 Lawrence St. Shaw 63110 Hidden Alley Ranch is designed to host a series of nested co-ops: common space for a 19 cooperative housing project, community garden beds, a chicken co-op, social space for neighborhood potlucks, and eventually beekeeping and orchard co-ops. • • • • •

Sleeping with bees at Dmitriy’s backyard 4157 Botanical Shaw 63110 20 We have fruit trees, different berries, chickens, quails, rainwater tote, hugel culture, native bees hotel, vertical garden, and a couple of very exciting bee related additions this year. • • • • • •

New Orleans Style Courtyard 4034 Magnolia Place Shaw 63110 21 A stone path through the front yard perennial garden to a side yard to vintage French doors into a New Orleans style courtyard. • • • •

Trash to Treasure Terrace 4026 Castleman Shaw 63110 22 Our yard serves to pique interest in permaculture design practices as well as the reuse of “trash” as garden material. • • • • •

erin & ben in dutchtown 4739 Louisiana Ave. Dutchtown 63111 23 50+ MO native perennial species including , raised bed vegetables, three sisters , DIY & rain collection. • • • •

Critter Sanctuary 4709 Minnesota Ave. Mount Pleasant 63111 24 We create a sanctuary for migrating birds and butterflies, along with support of raccoons, opossum, stray cats, etc. • • • • •

dirty girl farms 3911 Juniata Street Tower Grove South 63116 25 Everything intentionally planted for sale to some of the finest chefs and bartenders in Saint Louis - culinary and medicinal herbs, , leaves, and roots. • • • • •

Grackle Manor 4170 Wyoming St. Tower Grove South 63116 26 Most visitors focus on the vegetable garden, the 250 gallon rain barrel, rain garden and native landscaping, but if you look closely, you’ll likely find some wildlife as well. • • • • •

Cottage Shade Garden 4009 Utah Street Tower Grove South 63116 27 Designed for easy maintenance, without , but lots of perennials and shade. Interrupt my reading; kid-friendly place to relax with conversation and homemade cookies. • •

Place of nature, beauty and serenity 4871 Goethe Ave. Princeton Heights 63116 28 Yard features ways to live with nature and embrace it. Numerous awards and desire to teach others. All natural-- no chemicals. • • • • • •

The Urban Food Forest 3114 Gurney Ave. Tower Grove South 63116 29 Our focus is to create an urban oasis full of perennial food . Visitors will see a broad mix of uncommon fruits, perennial vegetables, and perennial herbs. • • • • •

Michigan Ave Garden-n-Bees 2850 Michigan TowerAve. Grove East 63118 30 Gardening with recycled materials; beekeeping and pollinator friendly • • • • • Map No. Name Address Area Zip Level S Kitchen House Farm 2611 Michigan Ave. Tower Grove East 63118 Kitchen House Farm originated as a project to revitalize a neglected property near 31 the owners’ home. It now provides their nearby coffee shop with eggs, honey, herbs, • • • • • and other vegetables.

Rebecca Bodicky / Alice Blue Collective 3557 Michigan Ave. Gravois Park 63118 32 An eclectic mix of flowers, herbs, and woodies for use by Rebecca for Alice Blue Collective. With a small farm across the street, in development. • • •

Urban Homestead 2838 Magnolia Fox Park 63118 33 My home has 3 additional city lots connected. Started 6 years ago with trees and otherwise blank slate. Lots of hard work & 2 MSD Project Clear Grants. • • • • • • • •

Nelson’s Dry Creek & City Kitties 2125 Cherokee St. Benton Park 63118 34 Diverting over 2000 square feet of flat roof, rain water, into dry creek and French wells. Herbs and flowers that repel mosquito’s etc. • •

Community Orchard on Virginia3001-3005 Virginia Ave.Tower Grove East 63118 35 The Orchard on Virginia is a project that grows fruit to build relationships, address hunger, and provide a place to serve the community. • • • • Rocky Forest Manor 707 Timber Ridge Acre Dr. High Ridge 63049 Native plant areas, fruit trees, pond, geothermal HVAC system, Tesla electric car charging, 36 rain barrel, many mature trees, living “Christmas” trees that we planted instead of throwing them away, short nature trail through the woods leads to a small lake with a fire pit. • • • • • •

Kids and Chaos 24 Webster Woods Webster Groves 63119 37 Our suburban acre is slowly on its way to 100% native landscaping while being 100% kid haven. • • • • •

An Edible Path 15 Willow Oak Lane Glendale 63122 We began with honeysuckle and Euonymus and severe drainage issues. Our goal is to create an 38 edible path through “the woods“ - Paw Paw trees, hackberry, mulberry, , elderberry, hazelnut, walnut, , blackberry, , and many Missouri natives in a normal yard • • • • The Red Door Family Garden 449 Seekamp Ave. Kirkwood 63122 39 Our family garden has a space for everyone including children and chickens. We have -free gardens for birds, butterflies, and even fairies. Many varieties • • • • • of hostas, natives, trees and perennials.

Front “Yarden” with Bees and Birds ‘round Back 230 E. Adams Kirkwood 63122 40 Our front “Yarden” features annual and perennial veggies, herbs & fruits in place of a lawn. We also have chickens, bees and pollinator plants. • • • • • •

Isabee’s Bee Garden 12540 Old Tesson Rd. Mehlville 63128 41 Isabee’s Bee Garden provides a healthy habitat for a variety of wildlife, to provide a rich environment for pollinators of all sorts. • • • • • • Clayton Haven 115 Lake Forest Dr. Richmond Heights 63117 42 Monarchs, Spice bush swallowtails and tiger swallowtails are a few of the butterflies you’ll see here. Milkweed, spice bush, poplars and black are Host plants for these species. When you put in a plant, you are growing butterflies too! • • • •

IntheNameoftheBee 1357 Graham Street Dogtown 63139 43 A beekeeper’s garden. • • • • • •

Birds and plants and bugs, oh my! 7039 Horner Franz Park 63117 44 City wildlife habitat created with native plants in situations ranging from sun to shade, wet to dry, all in ¼ of an acre, with recycled yard art too. • • •

Casa de Case’s 2125 McCausland Ave Franz Park 63143 45 Our yard includes an edible herb & butterfly garden; many vegetables, & figs. Yes, we have squirrels & rabbits. No, we do not have deer. • • • • • •

Jordan Accessible & Sustainable Home & Yard 7648 Weaver Ave. Maplewood 63143 46 Sustainable and accessible, this aging-in-place private residence has solar PV, sustainble design and products, ERV, solar car, vegetable garden, rain garden, pollinator-prairie garden, bees, recycled plastic fence and other sustainable practices. • • • • • .

Join us for A Sustainable Shindig! AUG Enjoy Music, Refreshments & a Rooftop View of the Mississippi River! Tickets & Info at www.sustainablebackyard.org ¥5 7 Shaw/Tower Grove (inset)

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41 The Dirt on What’s a Watershed?

The ground you walk on is so much more than dirt. There’s an entire Everything drains somewhere! That simple fact is why there are islands ecosystem under your feet. More organisms live in a handful of healthy of plastic in the ocean that are the size of small states, large dead soil than there are people on the planet. That life in the soil…microbes, zones where rivers outlet to the ocean, and even why there are fish fungi, nematodes, insects…supports the life above it…from the crops kills and algae blooms in your neighborhood creeks or lakes. The way we grow for food and fiber to the trees we cut for timber. It even water moves over land is just like how a bathtub drains, it all eventu- sequesters carbon and is literally ground zero for medicines like ally flows to the lowest point, taking pollutants with it as it goes. penicillin, derived from a fungus found in soil. Protecting our watersheds, big and small, can start with our own There are many ways we unintentionally destroy that ecosystem. Till- backyards. Practices such as watering wisely or xeriscaping help con- ing your garden, for instance, destroys soil’s structure--water doesn’t serve water while rain gardens and reducing impervious surface areas infiltrate, compaction increases, nutrients can’t flow, and the whole soil help reduce the amount and rate of stormwater runoff. web is compromised. That’s why more and more farmers are turning to no-till agriculture Safely Dispose of Old & Fertilizers and cover crops. You can practice the same in your own garden by only minimally disturbing the soil and keeping something growing on Many conventional lawn and garden products are considered House- it at all times. Bare soil is dying soil. hold Hazardous because they contain chemicals that are toxic, corrosive, flammable or reactive. Pouring these products down the drain, on the ground, into storm sewers, or in some cases putting Get the Most Out of Playing In the Dirt them out with the trash can harm the environment and endanger our health. Increasingly, there are safer, alternative products like corn Test your soil before amending it or adding chemical fertilizers. gluten and diatomaceous earth that you can use instead. For a safe- University of Missouri Extension will test your soil so you know exactly on-vegetables bug spray, make your own using Dr. Bronner’s Pepper- what you do, and don’t, need to add to your soil to improve it. mint Soap. But if you have old home & garden products lying around, See the link on our website or call 314-400-2115. make an appointment to dispose of them at one of these St. Louis Household Hazardous Waster facilities: Compost your kitchen scraps and yard waste and not only will you never have to buy bags of soil again, you’ll have rich organic matter Lemay HHW Facility North County HHW Facility to feed your garden and lawn. There are many ways to compost and 291 E. Hoffmeister 4100 Seven Hills Drive entire books on choosing the right system for the right time and place. St. Louis, MO 63125 St. Louis, MO 63033 But in the end, it’s easy: Compost happens! Visit www.hhwstl.com to learn more. CALL Before You Dig – Electric, gas, water, sewer, telephone and cable lines are buried everywhere and some are only an inch or two below the ground. Planting a or installing a rain garden can damage underground utilities, so always call before you dig! One call, at least 2 working days prior to digging, notifies all utilities that will then mark underground lines so that you can dig safely. MSD Project Clear is the initiative to improve water quality and alleviate many wastewater concerns in the Missouri One Call 1-800-DIG-RITE (1-800-344-7483). Plus, it’s the law. St. Louis region. This program will reimburse qualified homeowners, schools, churches, government, and businesses (within a specific geographic area) up to $3,000 to install rainscaping solutions, like rain gardens and rain barrels, on their property. Check www.projectclearstl.org/rainscaping Support for this booklet provided by The St. Louis County Soil & Water for more details. (314) 577-0202 | [email protected] Conservation District. The St. Louis County Soil & Water Conservation District is funded in part by the 1/10 of 1% Parks & Tax. Project Clear STL projectclearstl GlossaryR Composting: A great way to transform kitchen and yard waste into free, Support from our sponsors nutrient-rich . allows us to keep this unique educational event Rfree to all! Household Hazardous Waste (HHW): Herbicides, pesticides, cleaners, & solvents that are corrosive or toxic and may catch fire, explode, or react with Major Funding provided by: other chemicals creating a risk to people and the environment. A sustainable backyard replaces these products with natural, organic substitutes. William A. Kerr Foundation, Dr. Bronners Family Foundation, Greenscape Garden Center, St. Louis Jefferson Solid Waste Hugelkulture: Raised, no-dig beds wherein woody debris forms the basis Management District, St. Louis County Soil & Water of mounded compost piles which can then be planted with annual food crops Conservation District like squash. With additional support from: Naturescaping: Using native plant species and the character of the land to Forrest Keeling Garden Center, MSD Project Clear, create an arrangement that appears naturally occurring and provides similar St. Louis Earth Day, Wild Bird Rehabilitation ecosystem services. And contributions by: Native plants: Evolved in concert with the and growing conditions Bailey Family Restaurants, Bowood Farms, Gateway Greening, of a place, often with deep, fibrous root systems that make the soil more permeable, sponge-like and able to absorb rainfall. Isabee’s Beekeeping Supply, Kitchen House Coffee, Missouri Wildflower Nursery, Revitalize St. Louis, Permaculture: A landscape & living design philosophy that partners food, St. Louis Composting, Slow Food St. Louis water, energy and people within a balanced & healthy biological community. Friends: Pollinators: Bees, wasps, butterflies, and other creatures essential to the Audubon Society of St. Louis 3 reproduction of the vast majority of flowering plants, fruit trees, and most 3 Besa Grows Wild food crops. Brightside St. Louis Custom PV: Photovoltaics are devices that take energy delivered in the form of light EarthDance Organic Farm School photons and converts it to energy in the form of , i.e. Solar energy. 3 Green Spiral Tours Rainscaping: Pairing plants and water control practices like catch basins, Missouri Prairie Foundation/Grow Native! bioswales or pervious pavement, to encourage stormwater to slow, spread, Perennial St. Louis and sink in close to where it falls. Pop-Up Prairie 3 Revitalize St. Louis Rain Garden: A landscape that slows the flow of rainwater runoff by using Slow Food St. Louis elements similar to those that occur in nature-- plants, stone, shallow swales Solidarity Economy Project and depressions that catch and hold rain. Saint Louis Beekeepers University of Missouri Extension Sustainable Backyard: One that causes minimal harm to the environment in its creation or maintenance and 3 We hope you enjoyed the day 3 contributes positively to the health of people and planet. and learned something new. Now that you know you can do it, get started! : A way to compost indoors using earthworms to breakdown Compost, water wisely, plant real food! kitchen waste to create a type of fertilizer called worm castings. Together we can grow a greener world starting in our own backyards. Xeriscaping: Landscaping that helps conserve water by using plants that require little or no irrigation and are suited to a sunny, dry site. Platinum & Gold Sponsors

Soil & Water Conservation District St. Louis County

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Chickens • Bees • • Missouri Natives

Low mow •Printed sol locallyar on recycled paper. Please save or recycle this booklet! Power • Composting • Edible Perennials Green Living outdd