Ceallach Farms

Welcome to Ceallach Farms!

We are a full-service sustainable landscaping company. Our primary service is converting traditional lawns to "no mow" clover fields by replacing them with a cover crop mix - typically white clover - and other "low profile" plant varieties that require minimum maintenance.

The math: lawn mowing service costs ~$50/wk (for min 6 mos , or 24 wks per yr) so $50 x 24 = $1200/yr (minimum average annual lawn maintenance expense!)

We can replace a typical lawn (~1/4 acre) with a clover alternative for about $10,000 (incl. sod removal, soil ammendment, and clover installation). Given the math, the service will pay for itself in about 8 years ($1200 x 8 = $9600). As the typical home mortgage is 15-30 yrs, this could be a good strategy for new homebuyers.

The argument: As they say, they're not making any more land. And farm land is even more scarce. But from our menu of services, most folks should be able to find a few options to help them make the most productive use of the land they steward for years to come ...

We hope to collaborate with: Matt Lebon at Custom Foodscaping (STL), Tim Keifer at Perennial City Composting (STL), Matt Schindler at Seed STL, Sara Choler Hale at FairShares CCSA, Matt Huchteman at MU Master Naturalists, and Pure Air Natives as well as other great local partners to help make your lot the best it can be ...

We also offer a variety of other services ...

"Top 10" List of Services

convert lawn to no-mow cover crop crops (crimson clover, hairy vetch, winter rye, oats, barley, radishes, peas, turnips ... or our favorite - Irish clover, sweet woodruff, and chamomile flowers) > see also: EarthWise Seed
100 s.f. garden plot - grow $700 of food on 100 sf! > see also: Rapid Response "Victory Garden"
chicken coops w/ 3 hens in suburban backyards
backyard bees (rent or own) see also: Save the Bees
summer kitchens (cob ovens, natural sinks, wood stoves)
wofati design/build (multi-purpose - root cellar, kids hide-out, guest house)
living walls, green fences, vertical gardens - e.g. clematis armandi, pyracantha, virginia creeper, jasmine, climbing rose...
composting systems
fire pits - reclaimed brick & block, cob & clay-straw bread ovens
water features - bee pools, bird baths, frog ponds, potable water cisterns, split-drains

"A to Z" Menu of Services

appropriate technology
Aquaponics & Aquaculture

bird and bat houses
beekeeping
beneficial insects

candle making - try a shallow bowl of melted lard with a few sweet gum balls in it for wicks
carrier pigeons
chicken & coop rent-to-own!
composting systems
cookbooks
cob building (e.g. start w/ pizza ovens or "summer kitchens")

drainage systems (restored creeks)
deconstruction services
asphalt driveway replacement (w/ gravel or permeable pavers)

edible landscapes
EcoMachines (formerly Living Machines) by John Todd Ecological Design

fire pits
fencing

garden beds
greywater systems (i.e. rain barrels and drip irrigation)
"green building" with reclaimed materials
geothermal systems (subcontracted to others)

heirloom veggies
heritage breed chickens
"honesty boxes" - British mini "free stores" for garden surplus!
hugelkultur - could double as privacy or stormwater diversion berms
herb gardens
hyperaccumulators (e.g. Alyssum murale)

ice houses (like in the old days, when there were no refrigerators)
insects (edible) - locusts & honey anyone?
invisible fences and sheep w/ radio collars (to keep grass down within movable fence perimeter)

jams & jellies (from backyard berries)
junk removal

kilns (video clip)
kombucha - for gut health

lawn alternatives (e.g. "no-mow" walkable cover crops: Thyme, Corsican Mint, Soleirola Solerolii, Mazus Reptans, Pennyroyal, Ajuga Reptans, Alyssum, Lithodora Diffusa, Chamomile Nobile, Creeping Jenny, Moss, Irish Moss, Blue Star Creeper, Elfin Creeping Thyme, Dwarf Mondo Grass, Sedum "Angelina"...)
landscaping
lot additions (via STL LRA)

mulching
mowing

native landscaping

outhouses (w/ re-purposed tin can roofs)
orchard trees
outdoor showers

permaculture elements
- Midwest Permaculture
perennials (low-maintenance plantings)
potbellied pigs (backyard pets that reduce food waste )

quail breeding supplies

root cellars
rabbit hutches
rain gardens
recycling systems
roof conversions (e.g. gable roof to shed roof w/ super-elevated deck over garages)
rocket mass heaters

summer kitchens (varied styles to keep cooking heat out of house in summer)
seed "save & share" - seed & plant exchanges
soil testing and ammending
"Sage Scores" - to market your "green home" to premium clients

Trellises and arbors; pergolas, pavillions & gazebos
treehouse elevators 😁
Tiny home design (subcontracted to others)
tours - we can help coordinate local farm tours via MO Farm Tour!
trombe walls

underground dwellings (see also WOFATIs)
utility plantings (e.g. urban shade trees, nutritionals & medicinals, lumber, wildlife habitat)

vermiculture (worm bin > food composters)
vertical gardens (privacy fencing) - e.g. star jasmine (vanilla scent!)
value-added recycled products (e.g. tin cans > roof shingles; glass bottles > candle holders; old paper > firestarter)

water filtration (plus John Todd's "living machines", activated charcoal systems, etc)
water features (frog ponds, bird baths, bee pools)
winter greenhouses (heat w/ passive solar / heat sink walls / sewer heat)
wind energy info and microturbine products (subcontracted to others)
wildlife habitat (certified by Conservation Federation of Missouri)
wofatis - partly underground structures (for root cellars, kid's playhouses, cool summer backyard home offices, natural residences, &c)
wood stoves (in detached garage workspaces)

X-driveway (crushed & crowned stone); X-sewer (outhouses & greywater irrigation); X-gas (wood rocket stoves); X-electric (manual & solar)
xeriscaping (drought resistant planting)