Photo courtesy of Laura Lock
A few weeks ago I stopped by Laura Lock and Scott Garnholz's (above) CWE home to get a closer look at their backyard. I've known the couple for years–Laura was on the board of the Central West End Association and at one time worked as a staff member for the neighborhood organization. My curiosity was piqued by Laura's recent gift of homemade "Cabernet Sauvignon Vintage Vinegar" to Jim, and subsequent email correspondence showing a photo of the couple's hoop house.
While I stood on the Laura and Scott's back porch admiring the yard, Laura explained how they became so "into" organic gardening. It began several years ago when the couple began to question the impact they were having on the eco system. After reading about the environment and resource management, Laura and Scott began to implement ways they could live a "greener" life in the middle of the city.
Their tiny north-facing backyard contains a rainbarrel (lower right), a hoop house, and a long narrow vegetable garden. Laura would like to add two more rainbarrels and replace the lawn altogether (if Scott would agree), leaving more farmable area. I learned from Laura that a scant 1/4" rainfall adds about 50 gallons of water to the rainbarrel, more than enough to take care of their gardening needs.
Around the same time that the couple was transforming their yard—and their lives— Laura made a career change. She decided to pursue a more sustainable career path that was aligned with her value system. To that end, Laura discovered that St. Louis University offered a Masters in Sustainability. SLU's program—one of eleven universities across the country to offer the degree—is underwritten by a $5M grant from the Alberici Company, a leader in the implementation of sustainable design and construction practices in our area. Laura is well into her first year of the two-year program.
The couple had been growing vegetable and flower seeds in their basement using grow lights. In the spirit of being environmentally conscious, they moved their seed growing efforts to a hoop house, above, purchased at a big box store for $30.
When I visited, there were flats of sprouting radishes, beets, and peas within.
Laura orders many of their vegetable seeds from The Thomas Jefferson Center for Historic Plants, above, as she loves the idea of growing vegetables that may have the same genetic makeup as vegetables Thomas Jefferson grew at Monticello.
The photo above shows clever plant markers–sage, basil, dill, etc.—made by a friend from old silver spoons.
Three years ago, Laura and Scott built a raised planter bed that is 8" tall x 4' wide x 15' long. As Laura said, they chase the sunlight, which is at a premium in their backyard. In December, they planted a winter crop of broccoli, swiss chard, and cauliflower. With the mild winter we experienced, they had already harvested the broccoli, swiss chard, and lots of lettuce (sown every six weeks) by the time of my visit. If the winter had been more seasonal, they would have covered the bed to protect the crops.
A composter is visible at the top of the photo above. Composting plays a major role in their gardening scheme. They throw in grass clippings, weeds, and kitchen scraps–no meat, of course. They learned it's best not to clean the bed out after the harvest but to enhance what organic matter is left behind with compost.
Photo courtesy of Laura Lock
The photo above shows bounty from a harvest one week last summer, including several varieties of tomatoes. On Saturdays during the growing season, the couple bikes to Tower Grove Park's Farmer's Market to supplement what they can't grow themselves. Laura and Scott are not vegetarians but try to buy only sustainable fish, and to eat meat almost as a side dish.
I asked Laura how she incorporates herbs and vegetables into family meals. She enjoys making small batch salad dressings using the herbs from the garden. And the night before I visited, Laura had made a Meyer Lemon zest mayo (without eggs) with chives from their garden. She combined shallots, snap peas, and baby asparagus from the market and served it with sauteed scallops, and prosciutto purchased on The Hill. (I should not write these posts when I am hungry!)
Someday I hope to catch up with Scott and learn how he makes red wine vinegar. Scott, who worked as a kitchenware salesman for companies like Krupps, manages the housewares department at Restaurant Depot. When Laura isn't hitting the books, she volunteers for the CWE's Places for People and the food pantry at Second Presbyterian Church. The volunteers at the food pantry do more than serve meals. They also develop healthy recipes and provide the ingredients to cook the menu at home. I'll have more on their efforts in a future post.
We can all take a few cues from this resourceful CWE couple who have learned how to live off the land right here in the neighborhood.