Work-Day at 3 Willow Lane this Saturday, 4/24!

Hey y'all,

This is a rather impersonal message since I'm trying to send it out to many people and not spend all day on the computer! This Saturday I'm inviting lot's of folks over to help with the project I've been working on for the last 6+ months - turning my yard into an edible forest garden - a yarden. Here's the e-mail I've been sending around.

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I'm writing to inform everyone about a project that I'm currently working on and incredibly passionate about. I'm in the process of converting my single-family home in Amherst, MA into a model residence for ecological living. A large portion of the project entails transforming the entire grass front yard into an edible forest garden. This project was started back in September, 2009 and there is almost no grass left! Perennial fruits, vegetables, berries and roots have already begun growing and we are trying to make this project as inspiring as possible, in hopes that others will want to do this to their yards!

We'll be having an informal work-day with tours this Saturday, April 24, starting at 8:30am and lasting until 5:00pm. Some food will be provided but please bring a lunch if you plan on coming early and staying throughout the day. Please bring any of the mentioned tools if you have them (more pitch forks, digging forks, shovels, rakes and hammers will be needed if lot's of people show up!)

The main goal of this project is to save energy and this Saturday we will be setting up a clothes line made from all recycled materials (minimize dryer use), an outdoor compost bin (less trash to landfills) a trellis or two for our vegetables, and we will be sheet mulching some pathways and inoculating certain areas of wood chips with white clover (to fix nitrogen, minimize the work that is lawn mowing, and improve soil health.) Maybe some planting, too.

It is expected to be another gorgeous day this Saturday, so please come help us out at 3 Willow Lane, in Amherst, MA. Call or e-mail Ryan Harb if you have questions / for directions. (978) 314-1176.

I hope to see some of you on Saturday!
-Ryan