Then & Now: An Update on our Office Gardens

This blog is providing an update on the garden projects at the new office and what we have learned so far, so that it may help you in your gardening endeavors!

As many of you may now know, we moved into a new office in January 2023 and that new office came with 10 acres of greenspace. In partnership with the building owner, Lott Industries, we began to envision all the ways to transform that greenspace into an educational, demonstrational, and ultimately, a fully-functioning urban farm and natural area for the community.

For the first year, we knew we wanted to focus on creating a native garden near the office doors and also begin to transform the grassy hill into a native prairie to attract pollinators, birds, and other wildlife. For both of these projects, we did not want to use chemical herbicides to remove the grass, as this is something we are often asked how to do from members of the public. Each of those projects are explained in greater detail below with then and now photos.

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Native Pollinator Garden (near office doors)

June/July 2023: To prepare the ground prior to planting, we used three different methods to kill the grass/weeds without chemicals. One section was done by simply removing the sod with a shovel; the second section we laid newspapers; and the third section we laid cardboard. We then planted a variety of native plants and mulched the entire garden. 

July 2023

Purple Coneflower that bloomed shortly after planting.

May/June 2024: The garden is flourishing this spring! The majority of the native plants grew and spread -- the Wild Columbine, Virginia Mountain Mint, and Coneflowers look exceptionally happy. As for grass/weed suppression, the two sections that we laid newspaper and cardboard performed the best. More weeds popped up in the section we just dug up the sod. 

May/June 2024

Wild Columbine blooms in early spring (April/May) and provides nectar for pollinators.

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Hill Prairie 

August-November 2023: For the hill prairie, we again wanted to prepare the area for planting without using chemicals. For the first test-strip, we tried out solarizing. Solarizing is the process of laying down and securing plastic over top of an area of grass with the purpose of depriving it of water, oxygen, etc. The plastic we used was old, greenhouse plastic covering that was donated to us. After a few months, the plastic was removed in November and then seeds were distributed across the test-strip. 

The second test-strip was prepared using the cardboard and mulching method. This was done in late November of 2023. We seeded the second test-strip with the same seed mix in December.

May 2024: Things are happening on the hill prairie, and we have learned a few things throughout this process! Both test-strips have plants coming up, but the solarized one is doing much better. We attribute this partially to the fact that we did not get very much rain/snow this past winter and the cardboard did not break-down/decompose as intended. As a result, test strip #2 has been slower to germinate. Both test-strips do need some TLC in terms of weeding. We also think in different circumstances, the cardboard/mulched test-strip might have done just as well if we had gotten more precipitation.

Next steps for this project include installing a third test-strip that will be tilled and seeded later this year. Stay tuned!

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Tulip Tree & Soft Landing

June 2023: On the hill, we also decided to plant a tree, in the hopes that one day, someone can sit under this tree and enjoy the buzzing native prairie that will be surrounding them. The tree chosen was a Tulip Tree, and we also decided to employ one of Doug Tallamy's suggested practices of creating a "soft landing" around the base of the tree rather than the traditional mulching. The native plants in the soft landing will provide pathways for water to reach the tree roots and work with the tree to create a habitat for pollinators and other wildlife.

Olu and the newly planted Tulip Tree and native plants (June 2023)

May 2024: The Tulip Tree has survived the winter, thanks in part to the tree shelter, and has actually grown some! The native plants surrounding the tree are also thriving this spring, and our plan is to expand this bed to add more native plants. 

Tulip Tree and native plants underneath (May 2024)

Thanks for reading!
We hope you will stop by the office soon to see our greenspace and gardens! 
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If you are interested in learning more and/or volunteering in the gardens this summer, please contact Penny Bollin for more information at (419) 377-0065.

Author: Jessica Grisier

Communication & Outreach Coordinator
[email protected]