A Franklin Street neighborhood in Greenfield has become even more welcoming for passersby of many species, thanks to the efforts of Dawn Kennedy and Margo Townley, who’ve transformed their property into a bountiful haven on less than one-fifth of an acre.

When they bought their place in 2012, Kennedy and Townley appreciated that many neighbors nurtured colorful blossoms, pocket gardens, and interesting topiary. But their own property was, well, pretty boring. “There was nothing but a rhododendron and a stinky shed with an old gas mower,” said Townley. The women got to work.

Today, pollinator-attracting plants grace the tree belt in front of terraced herb beds, and all that greenery is a mere hint of what’s happening behind the house. Before heading out back, though, let’s note the peach trees, because they’ve become a source of delight for many locals.

“Our peaches taste so sweet, and we love sharing them,” said Kennedy. “A lot of people who live in the high rise (on Congress Street) go past our house, moving with the assistance of walkers or traveling by scooters as they head to CVS to pick up prescriptions and other necessities.” Most years, their peach harvest fills several five-gallon buckets. “Last year, of course, we had none,” said Kennedy, “due to the freeze. We’ll see how it goes this year — the trees look a little weary, but some fruit is coming.”

Kennedy said she’s “constantly reading gardening books and talking to other gardeners. There’s so much information out there.” For health reasons, she spends limited time in front of computer screens, but finds our local public library to be a rich source of information. When she learned of actions taken by Greenfield’s Tree Commission to reduce erosion, Kennedy followed suit: “I tried building up our soil by burying small branches.” Kennedy’s attempts mimic ”hügelkultur” (pronounced hyoo-gul-kulture), a German word meaning mound culture or hill culture. A hügelkultur is a sloped and raised planting bed filled with topsoil, wood, and organic materials.

They love their 1938 home, and Kennedy and Townley especially love being just outside of it. The backyard is the site of their “outdoor living room,” and they enjoy sitting there in early evenings … without being chewed by insects. What’s their secret? Mint. “We have lemon balm, chocolate mint, peppermint, oh, so many kinds of mint!” said Kennedy. “I read that mints repel mosquitoes and ticks, and we gave it a try. It really works!” She noted that when they step outside of their mint forest at dusk, they run the risk of being eaten alive. “But within the mint area? We’re fine.”

Cooperating with nature and spending time outdoors comprise much of the couple’s leisure time. “We each work with people in pretty intense ways,” said Townley, a psychologist. Kennedy is a social worker. “We need downtime,” said Townley, “and what better place than our own backyard, surrounded by beauty?” In addition to herbs and flowers, the women grow squash, tomatoes, peas, cucumbers, rhubarb, strawberries and raspberries. “We have two apple trees, a plum tree, and two cherry trees,” said Townley. Kennedy added, “Much of that goes to the birds and squirrels, and we’re OK with that.”

The couple previously lived in an apartment with no garden space. “Even there, though, we tended plants in pots going all the way down the (exterior) stairs,” said Kennedy, who grew up in a family of avid gardeners. She recalled getting up in the middle of night as a kid to cover plants due to the danger of frost. “I loved eating fresh peas right in the garden,” she said. “My family lived in Colrain for a while during my growing up years, and we had a giant raspberry patch.”

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Townley grew up gardening, too, in a very different environment. “I’m from Kansas,” she said, and added with a wink, “When I wear red shoes, I don’t let the heels touch.” Townley is from a large family “from an era before people’s TVs were on all the time. We had massive gardens and grew potatoes, corn, sweet potatoes, green beans, peas, tomatoes, all the standards. Then, after my father retired, he grew 624 tomato plants and maintained a truck garden.” How does Townley know her father grew precisely 624 tomato plants? “Guess who helped tend all those plants!” Her family also had peach trees, apple trees, asparagus, blueberries and okra.

Because they grew much of their own food, Townley spent her young life unaware of the existence of store-bought tomato sauce. But her family’s horticulture wasn’t exclusively practical: “When we moved across Kansas, we dug up my mother’s bearded irises and brought them along on our eight-hour car ride.” Townley also worked on Kansas wheat farms, driving tractors and trucks.

Kennedy, too, inherited horticultural acumen: “My maternal grandmother grew up on a farm in eastern Massachusetts, and my mom was a great gardener and preserver of food. She made pickles with turmeric so delicious.”

Familial histories and appetites for learning fuel the couple’s gardening activities, as does the fact that they’re connected with friends and neighbors who share raw materials. Loved ones bring gifts of plants, as well as other stuff. “When we moved here, there were stones in the grass around the side of the house,” said Townley. “I wanted to move the stones to the backyard so they could become part of our little patio.” Easier said than done, she discovered: “I started scraping grass aside, and found that the stones were much larger than I’d anticipated. I mean, much larger.”

Despite their size, Townley moved the stones and added some Goshen stone. Much of the material that comprises their patio is upcycled, however, including some from their housewarming party, since attendees were asked to bring gifts of rocks and stones. “We discovered that discarded slate tiles make great edging,” said Townley. Kennedy added, “We also incorporated old countertops we found along the side of the road.”

“If we hadn’t done it ourselves, we’d have gone broke,” said Townley. A local contractor gave them an estimate of $15,000. “That’s when we knew we’d go with DIY.” And because they don’t need everything to match or look pristine, their design allows for, and even benefits from, informal and whimsical approaches. “That’s how we like it,” said Townley.

Plans for the future include aging in place; one example is the couple’s transition from wood-sided garden beds to a metal type. “The ones we’re switching to are taller, which is good for aging bodies,” said Kennedy, noting that she and Townley are nearing 60. Not that 60 is exactly elderly (said the 60-year-old columnist with a gentle ahem), but each woman experienced limited mobility in recent years after Kennedy injured her knee and Townley later broke her foot.

The couple celebrates their 15th wedding anniversary this fall. “We love it here,” said Townley, “and clearly our approach isn’t linear. We throw in plants and leave some parts a bit wild for creatures that need to leave eggs, like fireflies and butterflies.” Kennedy added that they enjoy watching birds. “We see swifts eating bugs, and hawks tutoring their young up in the thermals.” The daughter of a bird-loving mom, Kennedy reeled off a list of winged neighbors, including rose-breasted grosbeaks, sparrows, starlings, grackles, finches, blue jays, cardinals and nuthatches.

“This is the best television,” said Townley. “Right here.”

Eveline MacDougall invites readers to share suggestions about home & garden topics. The author of “Fiery Hope,” she can be reached at eveline@amandlachorus.org. Her first name rhymes with green.