many updates!

1) Partway through the 2017 gardening season, I received news that my apartment building had been sold and all of the tenants were being renovicted! Although we successfully disputed the three consecutive eviction notices, it was time for me to leave Vancouver. I am now living out in Chilliwack.

2) I have officially started leasing some farmland in Yarrow. My farm will be called 'Thousand Leaf Farm'. CSA Subscriptions will be available either in 2019 or 2020. Website and more info coming soon!

3) I am now offering home and gardening services in Chilliwack. My time is limited, so services will be project-based (I can't commit to regular visits). I now have a small truck, so my labour rate has increased accordingly. If you're interested, please contact me at urbanbountyfarmer@gmail.com

garden bed overhaul

a customer wanted to transform their front yard garden bed from a tangled mess of Hedera and Vinca into a vegetable garden. always a fun project!

Plant warning! Daphne laureola

I've seen a dangerous invasive plant in a number of customers' gardens. Daphne laureola is known as spurge laurel, though it is neither a spurge nor a laurel.

Daphne laureola is listed by the Canadian Poisonous Plants Information System, the Invasive Plant Council of BC and has a Worksafe BC Toxic Plant Warning.

Though hardy and attractive, it is harmful to humans and the environment. It proliferates via seeds in its black berries which are spread by birds and mammals. It is at home in shady understory habitats and can spread into forests and displace native species. All parts of the plant are toxic and care must be taken to avoid skin and eye contact with the sap. There has been a fatal case of poisoning in which a child consumed the berries.

There are a wide variety of plants which can take the place of Daphne laureola in your garden. Some suggestions include: Mahonia, Skimmia, Rhododendron, Vaccinium, Helleborus, Polystichum munitum, Gaultheria shallon, Gaultheria procumbens, Paeonia, Brunnera macrophylla, Hosta.

A nice email!

Received this kind message the other day from a client. I go to her property every two weeks to take care of the garden and clean up the needles from the giant pine towering over the yard:

"Also, just wanted to let you know that I think you've been doing a really great job with our garden.  If you ever need a reference, feel free to use me.

Best,

Jennifer"

messy garden cleanup!

these clients and their home were on a reality tv show last year called 'Love it or list it'. the disruption meant that they didn't have time to keep on top of the garden and it became overgrown. it's much tidier now!

new labour rate

my first month freelance garden problem-solving has been successful beyond my expectations!

to better reflect the quality of my services, i'm adjusting my hourly rate from $17.50 to $18.75. i wish to keep my services affordable and this rate is still among the best in town for skilled landscaping.

this rate increase will allow me to get licensed and insured.

thank you to all my clients!

[please note as of Oct 2016 I've increased my rate to $20 per hour. if you are currently paying a lower rate, this new rate will take effect Jan 1, 2017.]

leave the hard work to me!

is your garden project too much to handle?

let me do the hard work! you can do the fun part!

when Izzie moved into her home, the backyard was a field of weeds and stones.

she wanted a garden. so she decided to build one! she turned the soil, sifted out the stones and planted grass seed. it was a so much work she hurt her back before she was finished.

so she contacted me to finish building her garden beds. in just two days of hard work, i pulled all the buttercup, dug up the bindweed roots, severely pruned the ivy covering the fence, emptied and moved the compost bin, picked out lots of buried garbage and built a meandering cottage-style border garden with the bricks and large rocks i found as i was weeding.

that weekend, she was able to plant the garden! i came back the next week to continue sifting the stones from the garden beds and deal with the piles of stones she had already sifted out. next, i am going to build some raised beds for growing veggies.

if you need help getting your project going, contact urbanbountyfarmer@gmail.com

and then a month or two later...

hedge and shrub pruning

sometimes it's nice to let your shrubs grow untrammeled, but if they're interfering with your pathways or other plants, they need a good trimming.

the best time to trim evergreen shrubs is during cool, wet weather, so the plant can recover. doing it in the middle of summer can stress the plant and leave brown, dead areas. 

check out the garden and home services i offer! 

if you need some help, give me a shout at urbanbountyfarmer@gmail.com

do you have a nightmare weed situation?

not only do i love controlling weed problems, i can tell you the Latin name for almost every weed in your garden. 

the before/after pictures below only tell half the story. the other half you can't see is the abundant roots of Calystegia sepium (hedge bindweed). with extremely aggressive weeds like bindweed, the only way to get on top of it is to dig up as much of the roots as possible at the start of the season and then try to keep on top of its growth during the summer. otherwise, it can grow so vigorously you can sometimes watch it grow and take over your garden over the course of a day.

to inquire about service, contact urbanbountyfarmer@gmail.com

thanks to Renee for taking these before/after photos of my weeding job in her garden!

ubf yard and home service

help support urban bounty's transition to peri-urban farming.

professional yard and home organizing services available at reasonable rates!

ubf can clean up your yard, help you grow food, massively reorganize your basement, deep-clean your kitchen, cook a healthy dinner or teach you how to make your own fruit wine. service is efficient and ecological, and transportation is by bicycle and trailer.

whatever your project, send an email and we can discuss how ubf can help.

urbanbountyfarmer@gmail.com

more info about services, and a map of where service is available.