You've probably seen the photos of those perfectly manicured suburban lawns—green, flat, and chemically treated into a state of boring submission. DaNelle Wolford looked at that and decided it was a waste of space. That’s basically the origin story of Weed 'Em and Reap, a project that turned a standard Arizona lot into a high-production urban farm.
It's about goats. And soil. And a lot of poop.
Most people get gardening wrong because they try to fight nature. They buy synthetic sprays when they see a bug. They freak out over a weed. But if you're following the Weed 'Em and Reap philosophy, you realize that the "pests" are usually just a sign that your ecosystem is out of whack. DaNelle has spent years proving that you can raise dairy goats and grow a massive amount of food in a space most people use for a swing set. It’s not just about "homesteading" in the 1800s sense; it’s about modern self-sufficiency.
Real life isn't a Pinterest board. Sometimes the goats escape and eat your prize tomatoes. Honestly, that’s just Tuesday.
The Soil Secret Most Gardeners Ignore
Everyone wants to talk about the plants, but the plants don't matter if your dirt is dead. In the world of Weed 'Em and Reap, the soil is the actual engine. DaNelle is a massive advocate for the "Back to Eden" gardening method, popularized by Paul Gautschi. This isn't some complex scientific formula involving lab-tested pH kits every week. It’s mostly about wood chips.
Think about a forest. Nobody goes into the woods with a tiller or a bag of Miracle-Gro. The trees grow because the floor is covered in decomposing organic matter. By layering wood chips over your garden beds, you create a sponge that holds water and breeds beneficial fungi. This is huge in dry climates like Arizona. If you aren't mulching, you're just throwing money at your water bill.
Tilling is a mistake.
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When you turn over the soil, you destroy the fungal networks (mycorrhizae) that help plants "talk" to each other and trade nutrients. It’s like blowing up a highway system and wondering why the grocery store is empty. Stop tilling. Just layer organic material on top and let the worms do the heavy lifting for you.
Why You Probably Need a Goat (Maybe)
If you follow Weed 'Em and Reap, you know the goats are the stars of the show. Specifically Nigerian Dwarf goats. They are small. They are loud. They are surprisingly productive.
Most people think you need a massive pasture to keep livestock. You don’t. A couple of small dairy goats can thrive on a fraction of an acre. The trade-off is that you get fresh, raw milk that tastes nothing like the store-bought stuff. But the milk is actually the secondary benefit. The primary benefit is the manure.
Goat manure is "cool" manure. Unlike chicken or cow manure, which is "hot" and can burn your plants if you apply it fresh, goat pellets can often go straight into the garden. It’s free fertilizer that turns your backyard into a closed-loop system. The goats eat the weeds and the extra garden scraps, they poop, the poop feeds the soil, the soil feeds the plants, and you eat the plants.
It’s a circle.
However, don't get a goat if you like your silence. Or your rosebushes. Goats are escape artists. They will find the one weak spot in your fence, get out, and eat exactly what you didn't want them to eat. It’s a lifestyle choice that requires a specific kind of patience.
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The Raw Milk Debate and Personal Health
DaNelle Wolford’s journey started because of health issues. She’s been very open about her struggles with various ailments that traditional medicine wasn't quite solving for her. This led her down the rabbit hole of real food and, eventually, raw dairy.
Now, look, the FDA has thoughts on raw milk. They aren't fans. But in the Weed 'Em and Reap community, the focus is on "clean" raw milk from your own backyard. When you control the animal’s diet and the hygiene of the milking process, the risk profile changes. For many, the enzymes and probiotics found in unpasteurized milk are a game-changer for digestion.
It’s not just about the milk, though. It’s about getting away from processed junk. When you start growing your own food, your palate changes. A store-bought carrot starts tasting like watery cardboard once you’ve had one pulled straight from mineral-rich, wood-chip-mulched soil.
Realities of the Urban Farm Life
Social media makes this look easy. It shows a sunset, a cute goat kid, and a basket of eggs. What it doesn't show is the 5:00 AM milking sessions when it's freezing outside. It doesn't show the heartbreak when a predator gets into the coop.
Farming is 90% chores and 10% magic.
If you're starting out, don't buy ten goats and a tractor. Start with a raised bed. Use the Weed 'Em and Reap approach of heavy mulching. See if you can keep a tomato plant alive before you try to manage a herd of ruminants. Urban farming is a skill set that you build over years, not a weekend project.
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One of the best things DaNelle emphasizes is the "yield per square foot." In a suburban lot, you have to be tactical. You grow vertically. You use cattle panels to create tunnels for squash and cucumbers. You plant fruit trees that provide shade for your house while feeding your family. Every inch of the property has to work.
Breaking Down the "Weed" Part of the Name
Why "Weed 'Em"? Because in this system, weeds are data.
If you have a lot of dandelions, your soil might be compacted. If you have thistles, you might have a mineral deficiency. Instead of spraying them with poison, you pull them and feed them to the goats. Or you chop them and drop them right where they are to act as mulch.
Weeds are just plants that grew where you didn't ask them to. But they are still biomass. And in a productive garden, biomass is gold. The Weed 'Em and Reap mindset is about turning problems into solutions.
Got too much shade? Plant greens.
Got too much sun? Use it to grow heat-loving peppers.
Got "pests"? Your ecosystem is missing a predator—usually chickens or ducks.
Actionable Steps for Your Own "Reap"
You don't need five acres to start. You can do this on a balcony if you have to, though the goats might be a problem for the neighbors.
- Audit your waste. Stop throwing away kitchen scraps and cardboard. That is the raw material for your future soil. Get a compost bin or a worm farm.
- Mulch like your life depends on it. Go to a site like ChipDrop or call a local arborist. Get a load of wood chips. Spread them 4-6 inches deep over your garden areas. It stops weeds and saves water instantly.
- Choose one "protein" source. If you can’t do goats, get three chickens. They take up almost no space, eat your leftovers, and give you eggs that actually have orange yolks.
- Plant perennials. Annuals (like lettuce) are great, but fruit trees and berry bushes are the long-term play. They get easier to care for every year, not harder.
- Observe first. Spend a season just watching where the sun hits and where the water pools. Don't build a garden in the one spot that stays underwater for three days after a rain.
The goal isn't perfection. The goal is to be a little bit more independent than you were yesterday. Whether you're following the specific Weed 'Em and Reap guides or just winging it, the fundamental truth remains: the closer you are to your food source, the better off you’re going to be.
Stop worrying about the weeds and start focused on the harvest. It takes time for the soil to heal and for the animals to settle in, but once the system starts moving, it almost runs itself. That's the real secret to the urban farm dream. It’s not about working harder; it’s about letting nature do the heavy lifting while you just point it in the right direction.