Backyard Harvest co

Backyard Harvest co is our urban farming initiative in Ogden Utah! We started out as a simple lawn maintenance company and soon realized there were many folks in our community that needed lawn care but couldn't afford it. Many people in the area live on fixed incomes and those same people do not have the physical ability to maintain their own yards. So we received many calls asking if we could just mow the front and keep the yard compliant with the city and neighborhood. Rising costs in the area made it impossible for us to provide this service at a manageable price for too many of them. This is where the idea for Backyard harvest co was born; out of a desire to help those who can no longer help themselves and bring them back into the community with a purpose.

We offer free lawn care to those in need by raising vegetable gardens on their otherwise unused lawn space at no cost to them. We keep any unused portions of the lawn code compliant and looking great! This method is not without its logistical hurdles. Raising enough food to bring to market in a dozen or more back yards is time consuming and requires a lot of infrastructure at each plot. Water timers, drip systems, compost, seed, and trellises just to list a few. We put the idea out to the community last fall and got a massive amount of positive feedback. Backyard Harvest co was offered close to fifteen thousand square feet of garden space over the course of about two months. Since then we have been hard at work developing processes and planting test plots.

Backyard Harvest co is looking to take advantage of what will surely be a terrific growing season this year. We have set up a GrownBy store, applied to Ogden farmers market and will have a green house soon. In the coming weeks we will be sending out offers to convert more lawns in the area. We have also reached out and built a community of local farmers around us aiming for collaboration and success! This initiative goes further than the good it can do for our immediate neighbors. Raising vegetable gardens conserves water, adds to the biodiversity of our habitat and every garden gets pollinator supporting flowers!

This $10,000 will go to getting a small fuel efficient delivery vehicle for getting personnel and equipment around to the plots and making deliveries. I've also set up a $20 credit on our store to be used as soon as we start adding products. Backyard Harvest co will be filling the store as inventory grows throughout the season.

Here are some things to look forward to

Thyme May 23

Rosemary June 2

Italian Basil April 3

Holy Basil April 8

Purple Basil April 3

Thai Basil May 11

Lemon Balm June 2

Peppermint June 2

Summer Savory June 2

Dill June 2

Sage May 18

Lemon Mint June 22

Fennel June 2

Jalapeño May 23

Roma Tomato May 11

Elephant Garlic July 9

Collard Greens May 12

Yellow Peppers June 12

Yellow Onion June 15

Radish May 15

..and more to come!

(Harvest dates are approximate.)