On a 1/3rd acre urban lot in Corvallis, Oregon, horticulture professor and youtuber Andrew Millison has spent the past 12 years turning a grassy yard into a high-yielding microfarm with more than enough produce, eggs, and honey to feed his family.

Every corner of his front, back and side yard is covered with fruits, vegetables, cover crops, bee hives, chicken coops, grey water treatment plants, and even a bamboo forest that supplies garden fencing. He intentionally planted fruit all along the perimeter of his corner lot to feed the neighborhood and plenty of native flowers to encourage pollinators.

Millison, who teaches online permaculture courses at Oregon State, turned an old shed on the property into his home office so he can now take breaks to tend his garden while working.

“For me it’s the perfect relationship between work and garden because I’ll be sitting here and I’ll think the chickens are being really loud and I’ll go and see they’re out of food or I’ll hear the humming of the bees and suddenly be like ‘oh my god my bees are swarming’. I feel like my work and play relationship is very nice.”