Pods

By Harry Alverson (flickr.com) [CC-BY-SA-2.0 (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0)], via Wikimedia Commons

Need ideas for your design? Or not ready for a whole playgarden? Create a Project Pod with two or more items from the list below.   Try to incorporate animals and plants together. Select a few at random and see how many beneficial relationships you can come up with.

Animals                                  Plants
butterfly garden                      flower garden
bird feeder                             nut/fruit tree and shrub garden
worm farm                             keyhole garden
rabbits                                   hugelkultur bed
frog/ fish pond                        lasagna garden
chickens                                herb spiral

Example:
Start a small flock of backyard chickens. Let them prepare a spot for a flower garden. Grow a variety of flowers to cut, attract butterflies, and improve the soil. After the first fall frost, collect seeds, then cover with chicken manure, cardboard, grass clippings and fallen leaves for a lasagna garden. It will be ready to plant veggies in the spring, and during winter the chickens can prepare another spot for a flower garden. Then, in the third year, plant a fruit or nut tree surrounded by a couple small shrubs and other perennials, such as flower bulbs and comfrey to feed the soil.

If space is limited, hang a bird feeder in the fall and winter over the place you want a garden, instead of using chickens.