The Backyard Garden

from Andrea Bond What this is

Celebrate life.

Life's lovely. That idea used to be ordinary, but it's getting rarer, and not because anyone in particular decided against it.


On this site, put your finger on number buttons to summon our animal friends.

Purpose

The best part of having a garden is getting to share it with people. Even though I can’t share my particular garden with everybody, maybe we all can share ours with our neighbors.

After all, that's what makes neighborhoods different from just a bunch of little boxes on a hillside.

Andrea

The cards are free, and they always will be. Take whichever one matches what you grew or made, print it on cream cardstock, sign the back, and knock on a door with it, pinned to a gift bag. The card does the explaining, so you don't have to stand there giving instructions.

Photograph goes here The jar on a porch rail, card tucked under the twine. The one thing the page cannot draw for itself.

The cards.

Sixteen so far. Each one says what the gift is, and the few things worth knowing about keeping it.

    The Banana Pepper card, neighborly voice The Banana Pepper card, humorous voice

    Banana Pepper

    Capsicum annuum · 0–500 Scoville heat units

    Charted against the poblano and the jalapeño, so nobody has to take it on faith.

    Same emblem, same frame, same type. Only the words change — which is why the funny one lands at all.

    Download Banana Pepper

    How to do it.

    Ten cards cost about ten dollars and fifteen minutes in a quality copy shop. That is the entire barrier.

    What to say at the counter

    Single-sided, full colour, on ivory or cream 80 lb or 100 lb cover, 8½ × 11. Print as-is, 2-up, no scaling, no bleed. One cut across the middle of each sheet.

    Two cards tile a sheet exactly, so there are no crop marks to line up. The cut is the middle of the paper.

    The stock

    Colour
    Cream, ivory or natural — warm, not bright white.
    Weight
    80 lb or 100 lb weight, or whatever the shop has in that range.

    What we did with ours

    Sixteen gifts, one street, late September to Halloween, each with a nicely printed card, warm introductions, and doorbell-ringing.


    Most of the cards are true.