Garden layouts, yard updates part 1

Welcome to SPRING!

While there may still be a frost day, the chances have decreased considerably. A variety of seedlings are starting to peek out of the soil.  Spinach, lettuce, peas, carrots and radish.  I had planted some sprouting potatoes in February and the warmer temperatures mean they are already  6-8 inches high and wide. Onions and garlic plants last fall and early winter are looking to be a bumper crop.

The yard is showing all of the hard work of fall and winter and I've enjoyed purchasing perennials online this winter and receiving them just last week for more planting fun.

check out www.bluestoneperennials.com for some great finds.

Plot Rotation

 One of the advantages of my garden is that I can rotate the location of various crops. This year I have built a new tomato bed, a wooden Tutuer (which my husband says looks like a medieval torture device) and created color coded stakes for companion planting.  I'm hoping these ideas will help me stay a bit more organized and create happier plants. Photos will be in my next post but to give you a general idea of the changes check out the photos below.



 As you can see, the rain garden is close to complete.  The iris plants in it are getting close to blooming, the clover has filled in as a low maintenance lawn replacement(we dont water the grass during the summer). As always, there is more to do but its getting closer to being drought and heat tolerant.  Last summer I added the supports for hardy kiwi and while it seemed for a while that a nasty infestation of spider mites had killed them off, they are thankfully going spring strong.  I also have 5 celery plants that survived the winter and are putting out new stalks. yummy....


 
check back soon for more photos, ideas and general gardening fun!

'Hell strip' makeover

Landscaping the 'Hell strip'

One of my gardening projects has been to remove the grass from the front yard. While it looks lovely when the grass is green, summer turns the grass a dried-out brown.  There are many great ideas on the internet about landscaping with little to no grass. 

 

 Goal: 

Transform that awkward strip between the sidewalk and the road (aka the hell strip) by planting drought tolerant plants, creating areas to place the garbage cans, and using a visually interesting design.

Warning: getting rid of the grass is a time-consuming, sore-muscles project.  We decided not to go for the larger dumpster (costly) and have relied weekly on the kind neighbors who have let us use their yard waste bins.  Our strip is 50ft long and 3.5 ft wide.  It may not seem like much but each week it took 3 bins to remove a 3-4ft x 3.5 foot section.  The bins get too heavy to move if there is more!

Process:

1. Search the internet for ideas!
2. Measure the strip area
3. Draw up a yard plan with potential ideas and shapes
4. Start removing the grass
5. Determine what areas are going to be for garbage cans
6. Pay neighbor to bring all the remaining rocks to the front yard from previous pond area in back
7. Get supplies as needed
8. Start putting in the design
9. Look at it from all angles, look some more, move plants around, look at it lots more, wave back at the drivers who are watching you work.

Supplies:

1. High quality barrier fabric. Don't stint on this, most fabrics in hardware stores only last a year if that.
2. garden or landscape staples - again, be aware that there are poor quality ones out there. My first ones started rusting with just brief exposure to the air, the second batch - much better!
3. rock and more rock
4. bark (purchased bulk by the sq yard)
5. garden soil (purchased bulk by the sq yard)
6. mint mulch for color contrast (and it smells so good too!)
7. plants - mostly they were transplanted from other locations in the yard.

Ordered from www.amazon.com

Sandbaggy 500-Count Landscape Staples ~ SOD Staples, Garden Stakes, Square Pins
Dewitt 3-by-100-Feet 4.1-Ounce 20-Year Weed Barrier Fabric  

There is still a good 15 feet to finish but it should be fun.

I hope this inspires you!