On a 1/3rd acre urban lot in Corvallis, Oregon, horticulture professor and youtuber Andrew Millison has spent the past 12 years turning a grassy yard into a high-yielding microfarm with more than enough produce, eggs and honey to feed his family.
Every corner of his front, back, and side yard is covered with fruits, vegetables, cover crops, bee hives, chicken coops, grey water treatment plants, and even a bamboo forest that supplies garden fencing.
He intentionally planted fruit all along the perimeter of his corner lot to feed the neighborhood, as well as plenty of native flowers to encourage pollinators.
Millison, who teaches online permaculture courses at Oregon State, turned an old shed on the property into his home office so he can now take breaks to tend his garden while working:
“For me, it’s the perfect relationship between work and garden because I’ll be sitting here and I’ll think the chickens are being really loud, and I’ll go and see they’re out of food or I’ll hear the humming of the bees and suddenly be like ‘oh my god my bees are swarming.’ I feel like my work and play relationship is very nice.”
Andrew Millison
https://www.youtube.com/user/amillison
https://www.andrewmillison.com/
permaculturedesign.oregonstate.edu
On *faircompanies: https://faircompanies.com/videos/aced-permaculture-in-az-desert-now-helps-backyard-perma-boost/
48 Comments
Man I wish I had a third of this guy's ambition. I feel so lazy after watching this.
Imagine if every suburban yard grew one crop like this, every neighborhood would be a free grocery store.
16:69 nice peyotes and San Pedro haha
How do they keep wild animals away? Whenever I try to plant anything edible the squirrels, raccoons, and crows destroy it before it even has a chance.
That size jar of raw honey in my hood goes for $35 – $40, and keeps going up!
The collab we have been waiting for.
What a fantastic crossover!! It's great to see Kirsten Dirksen show and share in her channel the really useful praxis and theoretical knowledge Millison is sharing, in order to benefit our changing climate and benefiting us.
Thank you both for sharing your experience/s with the world.
I live in the county outside a city and someone complained to code enforcement when I started to let things grow up to screen my house from the road. I cut the grass next to the house, but I was letting about 20 feet next to the road go wild and start to naturally fill-in. I was sighted for grass over 9" and had to cut it all down.
He needs to learn glassing for the eggs.
He is a great example of how creating effective & effecient permaculture can be seriously beneficial. All the carbon from his garden is put back into the soil…lol…including his.
I love this guy's generosity! I live in the city and if I'm walking on the sidewalk and someone's fruit tree has fruit hanging over their fence, I consider it fair game. 🙂 Some homeowners have a problem with that. Not this guy. I'm currently learning about wild edibles and how abundant they are. God has provided so much food on this planet.
yes worldpeace.
Thanks kind sir.
DAMN SNACK 😋🤤 THIEVES 🤣🤣👍🏽🇺🇲
Attempting to do the same but poor and doing it slowly
Well done Andrew! so much, in such a small space*
Great effort and result in a small area. A lot of familiar plants grown.
Need to trim it back off the sidewalk, I can't believe the community doesn't complain. I trim the tall grass so drivers can see around the corner just out of consideration. The town hasn't the money to keep things up. you are so lucky the community leaders let you have chickens, some communities are so scared of bird flu, chickens aren't allowed, kid you not!
In a climate we're in, in which Bees are dying at a massive rate. Globally.
To tripple your hive this way is absolutely amaizing,
Fantastic video, Well done you.
Hes absolutely amazing and inspiring.
I found this: "The Carolina Permaculture Farm" which seems to have a similar landscape while searching for the Permaculture Farm and was wondering if it is close to your place?
Really enjoyed this. We are doing similar things so enjoyed picking up some new ideas. Thanks.
Uh… my smile-muscles are tired and he’s not even finished with his talk.
chicken tillers, going green Gods way 🙂
He is lucky his neighbors are nice doesn't bring bags and bags to harvest it all without saving any for the owner. Not like my neighbors. They will harvested it all.
Amazing so much stuff can be grown in a small lot.
I love it, I think I love the idea of his neighbors losing their shit even more. I have a uncle who dosent step on his lawn, looks like palm springs golf green and I just see a waste of space. I heard one of the biggest things Chinese notice when they come to North America is all the grass instead of being used by families to grow greens and vegetables.
Very cool. Thank you.
This guy is out there transforming one small corner of a neighborhood block into something out of Willy Wonka if all his snacks were natural and organic. I absolutely love what he's contributing to his community, while just making something really cool at the same time.
Love the video – very interesting ideas to incorporate – not all – but certainly some. Keep up the great work!
Chickens would quickly be eaten by raccoons in my yard.
There's no need to keep eggs in the fridge. In fact, it's wrong. Eggs keep longer and better in a cool place rather than a fridge.
Great garden and the office in the garden is the perfect solution to anti-stress modern working life. 💯👍👌
ONLY a 1/3 of an acre = bloody MASSIVE back Garden.
Why don't "you" spell it "Erbs"?
I love when americans say this is just 1/3 of an acre…on the other hand we Europeans would be like: "THAT'S HUGE!!!" 😂
This man is a genius. The sheer amount of knowledge of plants is insane. Hopefully he will write a guide to live plant this
Andrew Millison – You are the Freakin Bomb Digity Human… Loving Your Beautiful Creation of Paradise !!!!! Keep on Keeping On
Bravo for thinking about chickens..what a good soul..we should always think of all our friends; chicken, moth, cows,…
Thanks! Gave me a lot of great ideas to do!
Wow, smart and a dreamboat…
i feel so sorry for you that this house is on a corner of a street imagine if it would be in the end of a an locked end street ohh these cars would drive me mad i would go out to shoot them with a shot gun thats why i dont have a corner house and never will
Excellent Video
the edit from 29:16 to 29:37 IS THE BEST!!!!!!!!!!! 😂😂
In my next life, I will have a partner, just loke this man!
HEY! I recognize that guy! I've watched hours of his content. Love his teaching method and drawings. BUT I have to say, my experience with Black Bamboo was not pleasant. I estimate it cost me $3-5k (despite taking all the precautions my landscaper recommended) when it ruined my entire yard's new landscaping. My solution, because it is BEAUTIFIUL and I wasn't going to destroy it, was to put it into HUGE pots recovered from the city of San Francisco (when they wasted tax money replacing something that didn't need replacing) Lucky me – right place, right time.
Great idea for my lemon tree which is chewed up every year by the pesky possoms
So cool!!!!