My shoulders and thighs ache from digging up new beds today. Our house has a horrible back yard. We moved in last summer and it was too late in the season and we were too broke after the move to put in a proper garden, but we did manage to throw together a small patch for tomato's and zuke's. We had to purchase plants at a garden center as opposed to starting them but they produced wonderfully. I still have two jars of the spaghetti sauce I canned and 2 bags of frozen zuke! Not bad for a small plot in a weedy yard. Here's a pic of the remainder of our mini plot:
We have big plans for the yard. We have a lovely elderly man as our neighbor on one side. His front yard is wonderful, with flowers, a pond and a waterfall. His backyard is a dump though! We plan to put in ivy as a living wall to block out the old furniture and trash. We also are stuck with an ugly shed. We are not quite ready to tear it down yet so we are planning to obscure it with more climbing vines. Our yard has never been landscaped since the house was built in 1943. We are truly starting from scratch. Here are some pictures of it I took today before I dug out the garden.
Here is the dilapidated shed/garage thingy. You can see where I began digging today in the corner. The zigzag on the wall is twine we put up to give the vines something to climb once we plant them this spring.
A pile of scrap wood I am using for the raised beds. The wood came with the house :) Under it is a weird rectangle of cement that I am planning on putting my containers for growing carrots as our soil is too rocky to do them in the ground. Also visible is an example of my neighbors yard complete with couch.
The back of our house. Across the street from us is a giant field that used to be a train yard and station many years ago. This summer they are putting in homes (I don't want them too, thats where I walk the dog). I called the developer and got permission to scavenge. We got a ton of red brick that used to be the walls of the station and some slate that was laying around. We plan on using it to make a patio area and to make pathways in the garden. On the right you can see more of my neighbors mess- a broken tabletop and chairs.
Our side gate with a pic of the back of our lawnmower. The rose bush that dominates this picture bloomed beautifully last year. It does need pruned and my beloved promises to do it soon.The yard is huge at least, but I see a lot of work ahead of us to make it livable. I hope to post a ton of after pic's in the coming couple of months as I want it done by the time family visits!
1 comment:
I think you can do wonders with your yard....it will take some work, but think of the enjoyment of seeing it when it is all done... I have an old shed in my back yard, that is made of barn siding, and when hubby was alive he treasured it and planted lots of pine trees around it...now it is starting to rot in some spots, but I had them covered up, because I never want to get rid of that shed....my back yard looks pretty natural....i have flowers, but since i'm alone i tend to plant perennels....have fun and can't wait to see the pictures as you complete your project.....
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