About

A pineapple started this. My parents gave me the plant, I put it in the ground, and the HOA sent a letter about my unapproved plant species. The sensible answer was a pot. I bought an acre in Sorrento, Florida, instead.

I am Stephan. I built the house, and somewhere along the way the garden became the point of the land. The house is where I sleep near it.

Two rooms, one ongoing experiment

The Patchlands is the garden: food forest, banana grove, butterfly garden, and a compost pile with opinions. The Lab is the workshop, where I build the things the garden needs from wood, stone, and metal.

This is a journal from zone 9b. I write down what I tried, what happened, and what I still cannot explain. The Garden Pals are the cast: illustrated characters tied to the real plants, with a habit of commenting on the work.

One post a week. Results get reported whether they worked or not.

Stephan, the Backyard Alchemist