Reviving Land for Lasting Resilience
✔ Residential & commercial landscape design
✔ Strategic land planning
✔ Stormwater management
✔ Edible & medicinal gardens
✔ Native perennial plantings
✔ Water catchment
✔ Soil support
✔ Waste recycling
✔ Residential & commercial landscape design ✔ Strategic land planning ✔ Stormwater management ✔ Edible & medicinal gardens ✔ Native perennial plantings ✔ Water catchment ✔ Soil support ✔ Waste recycling
Sustainable land planning & landscape design for homeowners, farms, and commercial sites in the Willamette Valley
Our design team works closely with clients to transform conventional land into functional beautiful outdoor spaces that take less and give more
Residential yards & family farms:
More food, function, & beauty with less maintenance
Harness resources for greater self-sufficiency
Build for the future generations
Troubleshoot issues & obstacles
Vineyards, orchards & commercial farms:
Improve soil health and long-term productivity
Reduce inputs, waste, and maintenance costs
Turn site challenges into opportunities
Build a stronger sustainability story
Businesses, schools, & HOAs:
Improve curb appeal, comfort, and community value
Reduce maintenance, water use, and waste
Turn underused outdoor space into an asset
“In an age of mega‑developments and billion‑dollar land grabs, every square foot that regular people steward—no matter how small—holds real power. Our work is about helping you use that power well: turning the space you already have into a resilient, life‑supporting landscape that encourages connection year after year.”
How It Works
Every client and piece of land is unique.
Here is our typical consultation process:
1
Free introductory call
2
Site visit or virtual tour
3
Research
4
Client consultations
5
Design/plan creation
6
Delivery of design and supporting documents
7
Implementation/install oversight
8
Ongoing support & troubleshooting
Services
Function first. Design forward —>
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a landscape designed through permaculture principles to function like an ecosystem: harmonious, regenerative, low-waste, and supportive of both people and the natural world.
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lasting or existing for a long or apparently infinite time; enduring or continually recurring (plants that do not require seeds to be sown to sprout).
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relating to something growing or being grown again: the improvement of a place or system due to thoughtful management over time
Where bold thinking meets thoughtful execution.
Let’s create something meaningful together.
Ready for your backyard abundance?
Fill out the intake form →
Dream big & watch your land come to life ⁂
About Your Designer
As the founder of Backyard Abundance, Nikki Handel is the principal designer and primary contact for our clients. Her 5+ years of experience in environmental & civil engineering, pollution remediation, organic farming, and permaculture design give her a dynamic skillset and outlook on land projects. She prioritizes her client’s goals while balancing logistical limitations that come with working the land. Her dedication to environmental sustainability, functionality, and artistry drives all of Backyard Abundance’s designs.
Nikki earned her bachelor's degree in environmental engineering from Northeastern University with a focus on bioremediation (the use of plants, fungi, and bacteria to “detox” polluted soil and water). Early in her career, she gained experience with superfund site remediation, stormwater management systems, commercial development and permitting, wetland construction, and soil & water testing. She later earned her Permaculture Design Certificate from Oregon State University and expanded her knowledge of land management and regenerative agriculture while working on organic farms and residential gardens. She now consults local farms and residences on land development, permitting, septic systems, food forest design, closing waste loops, and much more.
Our design ethos and style stems from mimicking nature. Observing nature has taught us that:
Nothing is wasted.
The land knows how to heal itself.
Humans can live in harmony with the earth and leave it better than we found it.
Earth can produce food so abundantly that no one should go hungry.
Pesticides and synthetic fertilizers act like addictive band‑aids, covering symptoms instead of healing the root issue.
Regular contact with healthy landscapes changes people—how they feel, what they notice, and how much they care about the world around them.
Not everyone can live on a farm, but many people do have yards, porches, or even small sidewalk strips. Local sustainability can create massive change quickly. A single yard can catch and clean stormwater, feed pollinators, grow food & medicine, cool a street, and give people a daily relationship with nature.
At Backyard Abundance, we believe our outdoor spaces should work smarter not harder and serve a function beyond aesthetics. In an age of mega‑developments and billion‑dollar land grabs, every square foot that regular people steward—no matter how small—holds real power. Our work is about helping you use that power well: turning the space you already have into a resilient, life‑supporting landscape that encourages connection year after year.