Backyard Bog Blog

Our salvaged greenhouse, described in Salvaged Greenhouse Build Raises Urban Farm to New Heights is now "complete", looking fabulous and functioning. As we built it without plans, our vision grew with the project and resulted in a 12x16 foot structure with a soaring height of 15 feet! Its a bit of a cathedral and certainly makes a statement in our aspirational urban micro farm yard . Overall it suits us perfectly and we wouldn't change a thing, however we did gain some wisdom along the way.  Advice for other do-it-yourselfers attempting a similar type of project includes: Consider and plan out the pitch of the roof with regards to install and maintenance. After building a template for the truss, we prefabricated nine trusses. With two people, we managed to lift and install them, using a couple of tall ladders, and the greenhouse frame for support. The install was relatively easy. The challenge came in retrospect once we saw the final structure come to life, that perhaps...

  After dabbling in vegetable gardening for 20 years, we've declared 2025 to be the year that we take our green efforts to the next level. We love getting our hands dirty, sharing our bounty with family, friends and guests. With a recent lifestyle change that has turned our side hustle of vacation rentals into our full-time gig, we now have the mental capacity to take our hobbies to the next level and find new ones. This momentum is fueled also by idyllic lifestyle social posts , the unsteady economy, the unnerving political scene, and all the madness in the world. In this chaos, we find the motivation to ground ourselves to the earth, grow our own food, and raise the stakes with our gardening knowledge and techniques. The first thing we did this Winter was rearrange our vegetable and flower garden area. With urban farming aspirations of eventually getting chickens, we raised the beds into 10, 2x4x6 feet cedar boxes. Arranging the boxes throughout the former lawn allows us to cu...

Welcome to the Backyard Bog Blog! Dive into a world where hospitality blooms alongside regenerative gardens, vintage treasures find new life, and the rhythm of urban homesteading in Victoria, BC, aligns with the adventures of world travel. We've spent years sharing our passion for creating unforgettable experiences with guests from around the globe, earning consistent five-star reviews and Superhost status since 2015. Nestled on our expansive urban property at Welch Homes and Hospitality are three homes, a small cottage, Bunkie, an Airstream in its own campsite, large vegetable garden, and a 16k gallon swim pond . Now, we're inviting you to join us on a journey beyond our vacation rentals – a journey into the heart where the cultivated urban homestead meets the adventure and curiosity of world travels that inspire our style and worldview. We're more than just hosts; we're cultivators of sustainable living , creative upcycling , and the art of welcoming. Here's what...