Hi, we’re the gradys
Accidental Backyard Farmers
Our journey together started in 2014 on a backpacking trip in the Maroon Bells wilderness in Colorado, where we discovered our shared love of exploration, type two fun, and mutual lifelong curiosity and learning. After tying the knot in 2016, we embarked on many travels, outdoor adventures, and home projects; the last of which being the transformation of our back yard into an accidental tiny farm. Our mutual enthusiasm for life was grounded in a love of nature, food, community, and our amazing planet. Living a low-waste lifestyle and food cultivation were interests we both shared.
In 2020, we found the time and motivation to tackle our neglected back yard. What began as a plan to simply landscape the yard turned into a commitment to sustainable living and reducing our carbon footprint by growing as much of our food on site as we possibly could.
We initially planned on starting small with 4 raised beds, but time seemed limitless during the pandemic, and we somehow ended up with 14 raised beds (or 240sq feet of growing space), turning the once weed-infested space into a thriving garden. Today, our garden isn't just a source of nourishment; it's a beacon of hope, community, and joy in our lives.
Join us on our journey as we cultivate a sustainable lifestyle, one harvest at a time.
GET TO KNOW OUR GARDEN
in 2017, we started our vegetable garden with a 6x18 brick bed. The same year, we planted our orchard: peach, plum, apricot, nectarine, and apple trees. We planted blackberry and blueberry bushes. That same year, we got our flock of backyard chickens and attempted composting for the first time.
In 2020, we added 5 cedar 4x8 beds, 2 cedar 4x4 beds, 1 cedar 4x16 bed, and an in-ground 2x8 bed to the vegetable garden. We were truly overwhelmed with the amount of food we could produce!
Undeterred, in 2022, we added 2 cedar 4x8 beds to our front yard for vegetable gardening, as well as 4 metal 4x8 beds for our native pollinator garden.
Our back yard was used as a parking lot for decades, which meant that the soil was essentially impossible to amend. Raised garden beds were the best solution for us.
We rely on vertical gardening techniques to maximize our growing space and use drip irrigation to minimize the amount of water required to maintain our space.
In 2023, our garden became a Certified Wildlife Habitat. We not only grow food, but provide an ecosystem for creatures large and small.
a note about our land
The land we reside on is the traditional territory of the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho Peoples. We recognize the 48 contemporary tribal nations that are historically tied to the lands that make up the state of Colorado.
We honor those who stewarded this land for generations and we recognize that government, academic and cultural institutions were founded upon and continue to enact exclusions and erasures of Indigenous Peoples.
We commit to working to dismantle ongoing legacies of oppression and inequities and recognize the current and future contributions of Indigenous communities in Denver.
(adapted from the Denver City Council Land acknowledgement)
a note about food waste
The first year we expanded our garden, we truly were overwhelmed with dozens of pounds of produce (sometimes per day) during the months of August and September. There simply was no way for two people to consume or preserve it all.
In doing some research, we found that our community has a need for healthy, organic, fresh produce - win win! If you’re considering starting a large-scale garden, consider dedicating some space for veggies/herbs you can donate to local hunger relief organizations (i.e. food pantries).
a note about credentials
Prior to 2023, when Terrance completed a Permaculture Design Course, neither of us have had any formal training. For better or worse, everything we have learned has been through direct experience or via ‘YouTube University,’ following local gardeners on socials, and a ton of reading.
It is possible to embark on a gardening journey as naively as we did and be successful. We would do some things differently having had more knowledge, but we have also learned a lot from firsthand experience.
At some point, we will take the leap and become master gardeners, but for now, our day jobs continue to keep us super busy!