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Spring Planting, round one

Another weekend of good weather meant more time in the yard. This weekend’s activities chipped away at the preparation of the backyard. The beds along the patio all had brick edging. I pulled that up and was ready to pull up more bricks around the garden when I realized it would be a good idea to figure out where the bricks would end up after I was done. The empty space behind the shed seemed like the right spot, but first I needed to clear the last layer of dirt, roots and plant debris. Using the hoe, spade and pushbroom, I got to the bottom of the brick – yes, of course there is a 7 x 10 foot bricked area behind the shed. A prior owner must have really loved paving bricks. They are EVERYWHERE! I pulled out lots of weeds and a couple thorny vines, and also moved all the dirt to a holding area (the spot where we removed the tree). Brian helped clear the last layer of dirt along the shed wall, and also mowed the lawn.

Next I stacked the bricks from the yard, plus a few random ones we’d found while removing the tree, and pulled out another couple rows of bricks to expand the garden beds and combine them. Previously we had two square beds (5 x 5 feet) with an L around them for the garden. I took out the bricks along the L, and expanded the square beds out another couple feet. Finally, I turned over the soil to remove the weeds and get it ready to plant. While Saturday’s work was definitely a required step, I didn’t have much to show for my work, especially since the two rows of neatly stacked bricks are behind the shed, out of view.

Sunday dawned beautiful and clear. A perfect day to plant peas, greens and the window boxes. Brian and I scoped out a couple garden centers to check their selection of perennials for the backyard, but didn’t buy anything yet. We will wait until the spruce tree is removed before doing the backyard planting – no sense having heavy equipment sqaush our new plantings. But, we did buy red geraniums, dusty miller and sutera, a cascading plant with white flowers. The window boxes and a few rows of the garden are planted.

Comments

Comment from Sarah San Clemente
Time: May 11, 2008, 6:02 pm

I’m very excited to see the finished space! It sounds like you folks are making tons of progress!

Comment from Ohio Mom
Time: May 18, 2008, 2:51 pm

Would you like to turn part of my back yard behind the garage into a garden space? I’m hoping that this may be the year I finally do some gardening around here. However, I’m pleased to say that grandma’s garden was planted last week-end with help from yours truly. She now has potatoes, peas, green beans, red & yellow peppers, tomatoes, buttter crunch and romaine lettuce, zucchini, broccoli, brussel sprouts and butternut squash. Now to keep it weeded, watered, and animal-free!

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