Healthy Yards (Spring 2007)

A large part in starting this blog was to share some of my experiences in participating in the City of Calgary Healthy Yards Program. Please read on for a brief outline of the program and my progress so far.

A new environmentally-friendly approach to yard and garden care. It's good for the environment, easy to do, and can save you money too!

The Healthy Yards program helps homeowners create a more environmentally sustainable yard by combining the practices of composting, water conservation, responsible pest management, and grass cycling.

The Healthy Yards Program is FREE and limited to 200 participants each year with a two year program commitment.

So Here is a brief timeline of the 2007 Healthy Yards Program thus far:

March 9, 2007 - Applied online for the program. I suspect that this was rather late in the year and was quite surprised that I was selected for the 2007 program. So if you are interested, I would apply now.

March 19, 2007 - Introductory email announcing acceptance into the 2007 program, outlining program requirements, commitments, and orientation dates.

April 10 - May 12, 2007 - Orientation Sessions, 2.5 hours. This was an overview of the tools and techniques that you would apply in your effort to create a Healthy Yard. In addition, we picked up our rain barrels and composters. In the event that you take the train (like I did), or don't have the vehicle to drag these things home, the city will deliver. However, the Earth Machine Composter breaks down pretty small. With a little work, the rain barrel seemed to fit in the compact cars as well. The sessions were hosted at The City of Calgary Outdoor Resource Centre at 1111 Memorial Drive NW. That is the old brick firehall building off of the 10th street bridge in Kensington. Many of the information resources, pamphlets, and books that we are using in the program are available for the general public there.

Late April - installed rain barrel and composter.

May 3, 2007 - Got a heads up notice about free mulch at the East Calgary Landfill. This is available to the public, but participants get notified when a fresh load of mulch is available.

May 12, 2007 - Attended City of Calgary's Natural Areas Adopt-A-Park Program 2007 Plant exchange. This exchange is much more casual and laid-back then what I have read about the Calgary Horticultural Society exchange. The folks attending were limited to City of Calgary employees, volunteers, and Healthy Yards participants. The selection was good, I went there with a dozen Tiny Tim tomatoes that i started from seed and came home with a whole tray of established perrenials. Great Deal!

May 16, 2008 - Picked up free recycling bin from the Outdoor Resource Center.


We have only really been at it for a month now, and I am not sure that everyone is diving into it as I am. However, I would say that so far the program has been great. It has helped guide my decisions on how I will care for my established yard, while providing great insight into choices for future development.

Now this is only the beginning. The real challenge will come when my raspberries or cherry trees get attacked by some wee beasties and I need to find organic methods to get rid of them... I am going to test out some mechanical methods to take out weeds. We'll see how that goes. If that doesn't work, I'll take out the propane torch! Who knew that low impact yard care could be so fun?