Small Acres Land Care

03/14/2024

I’ve recently made a big decision to dial back my own business and join the team at Rusty Shovel. Going forward, Small Acres will focus on workshops, consulting, and small custom woodworking projects. Please reach out if you need these services! Meanwhile, if you need landscape, hardscape or help with larger projects, you can still reach out and I’ll be happy to refer you directly to my new awesome team

03/01/2024

Another fun day with Home Grown!

01/12/2024

Upgrade your garden in 2024. Custom garden boxes, fences, gates, and compost bins. Call for a free quote 250-815-0404
Nanaimo are

12/19/2023

I am super grateful to Nanaimo Foodshare Society for inviting me to facilitate these workshops. This crew was keen and curious and a real joy to work with.

11/10/2023

My 5th truck in 3 years is now dead. I’m giving up on trucks entirely. I’m on the hunt for an affordable van or SUV capabale of pulling a trailer. Anyone got a Honda or Toyota minivan looking for a new home?

07/06/2023

How it started/How it’s going
Approximately 2,000 square feet of Himalayan blackberries and a rotten old fence removed, new posts and rails in place - all in one hot day. Tomorrow the wire fencing gets stretched and on to the next project! Big thank you to Matt and Brandon from for the excellent machine work and logistics.

06/07/2023

My first asymmetrical gate build. It’s always fun to work within constraints and adapt to the landscape

05/18/2023

Noticing a lot of tent caterpillars in your trees at home or in the parks? Here are a few facts about them:

They are native a species and nest in specific species of trees every year. They come in cycles. Most years, they are not much of an issue, but there is an infestation about every 5-7 years. This year is looking like an infestation year.

They do not cause significant or lasting damage to a healthy mature tree, so typically, the City does nothing about them except let nature do its thing. We may treat if they are in a nuisance location, such as over a busy park bench. Another reason to treat is to protect the crop from a fruit tree.

Treatment options include:
-removing the nest by cutting out the branches it is located on
-applying BTK according to manufacturers' instructions (BTK is a biological insecticide and is considered "safe" for humans and other animals. It works by harming the digestive system of caterpillars.)

For more information on tent caterpillars, visit this website. http://ow.ly/8hIV50OqAJN

05/12/2023

After and before! Today I finished a project I first took on a year ago for some lovely friends. The original garden hosted an array of beautiful food and medicine as well as three feet of rich topsoil. In preparation for the new studio’s foundation build, we dug up and preserved trees and all the perennial plants. With the expert excavation skills of we preserved the topsoil on-site in a very limited amount of space. After the studio was built I came back and reshaped the whole back garden with micro swales and other earthworks to manage surface water and recreate an abundant permaculture garden. Thank you to customers, Jesse and Jesse as well as Jess and Kerwood of for being collaborative and creative the whole way through!

04/16/2023

https://nanaimonewsnow.com/2023/04/11/understand-the-importance-of-food-security-educational-garden-takes-root-at-nanaimo-school/

NANAIMO - A unique garden has sprouted at a former secondary school. Rows of soil garden beds now line the Str...