Plumbing and heating expert Richard Trethewey shows us a unique approach to landscape clearing. Rather than letting plants overgrow and create fire hazards, Richard introduces us to a non-profit that brings goats to a homeowner’s yard where they clean the brush and create a naturally clean environment (complete with compost!).
Allowing a landscape to become overgrown can contribute to the spread of wildfire. Many plants will burn quickly, becoming tinder for a growing blaze. But, when overgrowth takes over an entire yard, clearing it out can be a big, laborious task, and it’s not always eco-friendly. Luckily, there’s a better way in San Francisco.
Goats Grazing: A Landscaping Alternative
Sorry, Jenn. Our new favorite landscapers are a team of goats from a non-profit called City Grazing. These experts bring goats to homeowners with overgrown properties and unleash them on the landscape. Over the course of several days, the goats will clear the majority of the brush, helping the homeowner regain their yard with much less effort.
Benefits of Goat Grazing
Not only are the goats adorable, but they’re also an eco-friendly way to cut back overgrowth. When a homeowner or landscaper removes brush, they have to put it into a vehicle and drive it to a dump. This breaks the chain in the natural cycle of organic breakdown but also introduces a carbon element. That’s not the case with goats.
Goats do all of their work on-site, from eating to… disposing. And their manure is biodegradable, replenishing the soil with nutrients. Also, their digestive systems sterilize seeds, preventing plants from spreading and overgrowth from occurring, again.
How Does It Work?
Before the goats arrive, homeowners must prepare their yards. This includes installing temporary fencing, removing any potentially hazardous items, and clearing about a week for the goats to do their thing, making sure to keep water available. City Grazing will deliver the goats to the home, drop them off, and pick them up when the job is done.
Goats are Easy to Keep Around
We can admit that this is the cutest little group of landscapers we’ve ever seen. They enjoy interacting with the homeowners (some will even listen to them play guitar!). But, the goats eat almost all day, taking breaks together at the exact same time to nap. When they wake up, it’s back to business. On really hot days, the goats might relax during the day and eat at night. They’re excellent at what they do, so be sure to trust them, keep them watered, and enjoy them while they’re around.
Resources
Richard partnered with City Grazing, a non-profit based out of San Francisco that rents goats to businesses and homeowners for challenging weeding projects. Properties with existing fencing can be done more easily, but properties without fencing can have a temporary fence installed for an additional cost.