Gord Stevenson remembers when he and his wife Della decided they needed to transform the appearance of their yard.
It was 20 years ago, and the lawn for their front yard had seen better days. Either they had to redo the lawn, or they were going to have to try something different.
“We thought we’d experiment,” said Stevenson. “We rototilled it up, raked it out, and added some manure, and in a couple of years we put some potatoes in there.”
They now have a beautiful front yard garden, with various fruits, vegetables and flowers in bloom each year in the spring and summer months.
Corn, peas, beans, cabbage, cucumbers, tomatoes and virtually every type of vegetable imaginable have been planted at the yard.
Flowers are also found on the property. Stevenson said his wife has planted almost every colour of lily that can be imagined. They all grow along the fence at the front of the property, and they look great when they’re in bloom.
Petunias are also a common flower for their yard.
All of their efforts are organic.
“I mow lawns for a living, and the grass that I mow I compost, and that goes back on the garden, which is why it looks like it does. It grows, and it’s almost like manure when it comes out of the composter. I work it in, and it has great food value for the garden.”
The rain in the late spring and early summer was beneficial as well. And when it hasn’t rained, the Stevensons use a sprinkler to ensure their plants get the moisture they need.
The property looked its best around Canada Day, but it still has a great appearance now.
“The lilies are just starting to come in bloom, and everything is full growth,” he said. “It’s nice and green and the peas are in flower.”
They decided to emphasize the front yard instead of the back yard because the front gets a full day of sunshine, and there aren’t any trees. Their backyard, which is also a source of pride, has evergreen trees, which take up a lot of food value, and the house gives the backyard a lot of shade.
“Plants need to have sun and food, which is the compost,” he said.
The backyard also has a lush, green lawn, flowers along the fence, potted plants, and two big rosebushes.
Creating a front-yard garden like the Stevensons takes a lot of time. Stevenson does the rototilling, weeding and watering. His wife spends a lot of time in the yard, particularly the flowers. It helps her spend a lot of time outside, too.
He’ll be out there in the morning and evening, while she spends much of the day out there.
“She really enjoys being in the garden and picking fruit,” said Stevenson. “Watching every day, there’s something new coming and blooming and producing. We give a lot of stuff away, like potatoes and cucumbers, because we can’t eat everything that goes in there.”
Senior citizens homes have received a lot of the produce that the Stevensons grow. Residents at Midtown Manor were scheduled to drop by on Tuesday to pick up a big box of cucumbers.
People will slow down in the street to take a look, and some will stop to take pictures of the lilies and the other flowers. They receive a lot of positive comments.
Stevenson said they continue to spend so much time in the garden because they enjoy doing it.
“It’s a thing you see grow. It’s almost like a young kid being born, and you watch him grow up, and get bad, and then all of a sudden get better again.”
But he and his wife have always had an interest in gardening. They both grew up on farms that had gardens.
Their home isn’t the only garden they’re responsible for. A short distance away is a parcel of land where the Stevensons maintain pumpkins, gourds, zucchini and raspberries.
The pumpkins are a particular source of pride. Each year Stevenson enters a pumpkin contest put on by Peavey Mart, and Stevenson has won the competition the last four years.
“This year would be number 5. I don’t know if I’ll be dethroned or not, but it’s kind of fun to see how they grow and how big they get,” he said.
