Greatly appreciated support provided by Taproot Collective.

“Elwell Eden” is a little sliver of paradise on a suburban street in Brighton, NY (a close neighbor of the City of Rochester but a world away). We sheet-mulched the near quarter-acre of beautifully maintained grass surrounding the house and planted fruit trees, berry bushes, and native pollinator-friendly plants, roughly following a permaculture design created by Patti Love.

Some of our handouts (click to download):

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is the “before” photo, which shows the nearly quarter-acre expanse of green lawn surrounding the house on all sides. Except for a small patch at the back, this has been covered by at least one layer of cardboard, leaves, and wood chips. The tree shown as overhanging the house on the north side has since lost several limbs, opening up the front yard to greater sunshine.

 

 

Here it is in the early summer of 2025:

And today (August 2026):