A Reddit user in Washington is drawing attention after sharing a simple but striking yard transformation: a 2021 snapshot of the yard alongside another of the same space now, after it was turned into a thriving food-producing garden.
What happened?
On Reddit’s r/NoLawns forum, a user in Gig Harbor, Washington, shared a post titled: “I was informed y’all may enjoy my yard. 2021 vs now.” It showed the change from a basic yard into a productive growing space.
Growing in “Zone 8b, Gig Harbor, WA,” the Redditor said the space does well with cool-season crops, along with vegetables such as onions, garlic, carrots, and potatoes. “The potatoes can stay in until I need them for dinner,” the original poster wrote.
In the comments, they explained some of the work that went into the incredible transformation. To build up the garden, they said they have added untreated mulch in repeated layers, writing: “It is no dye mulch. I am currently on layer 6. It is about 5 inches deep by now.”
Because the ground started as “really bad fill dirt when they built the house,” their longer-term plan is to let the mulch continue breaking down before adding more soil and planting “clover or walking thyme.”
Why does it matter?
A yard built around edible plants, native plants, clover, buffalo grass, or xeriscaping can reduce mowing, watering, and chemical use, which often means saving both time and money. It can also help lower water bills, especially compared with thirsty grass lawns…