Fremont Residence

Alrie believes this garden model may hold a part of the future of landscaping in cities. For people who live in single family homes with front and back yards, it is chock-full of ecological biodiversity, which includes native plant community gardens, as well as food biodiversity, with over 50 species and selections of edible plants suitable for a Mediterranean climate.

Raised beds for food plants were created with an erosion control product called a wattle. This is a tube of straw encased in a plastic netting. Its conventional use is for road cuts or steep slopes where all the native plants or vegetation have been removed. The wattles are typically laid horizontally across the slopes to reduce erosion.
The products Alrie selected were chosen for their sustainability, as well as their affordability.

Alrie Middlebrook Design

Fremont Residence

Here is an example of using wattles to make raised beds. The diameter of the planting beds is five feet and the height is approx. 16 inches. Wattles are a substitution for wood or a recycled plastic product called Trex.

The downspout water from the roof is directed to the seasonal arroyo in the foreground. When building a sustainable garden that disrupts natural cycles as little as possible, all the rain that falls on the property is diverted from the storm drain by creating arroyos similar to this one.

The plants surrounding the wattles are native plants found in local grasslands.

The edge of the garden near the property line fence is planted with dwarf fruit trees. They are underplanted with the grassland meadow and perineal and annual flowering plants.

Closeup of cabbage plants and wattle. The arbor marks the entry to the garden, with four foot tall hotwire fencing.

Original drawing that shows general layout of the raised beds, the orchard on the edge, and the native plantings

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