My big push for the start of the year is getting new beds into my yard. After 5 years of neglect, my back yard was a pretty big mess when I started paying attention to it last summer. My goals for the year were pretty mild. I just wanted to try and get something going in the side bed along the fence. That became the first iteration of my prairie bed. The prairie bed actually did well. Some native hazelnuts I planted in pots last summer grew well even if they were a bit melodramatic while doing it.
This year, I’m trying to double/quadruple down and make an effort to establish 4 beds in the yard. I’m also going to pursue a bunch of smaller projects throughout the yard and in the house. In every case, the motivation is the same. Intentionally create value, work with nature instead of fighting it, and try and enhance the ecosystem as a whole.
Key Garden Projects
- Front Bed refresh. I have the standard facade landscape bed at the front of my lot. It’s not unattractive, but it needs some TLC and a much higher density planting. My plan is to groom the shrubs and focus on a native ground cover and filling in some spring ephemerals.
- Prairie Bed. I want to enhance and improve a long narrow strip along the side of the yard.
- Rhubarb Bed. It’s my favorite perennial crop and it should do well in this space. The bed is absolutely overgrown right now so getting it established might be a struggle.
- Food Hedge. I want to frame the existing back lawn in a hedge of fruit and nut shrubs. I’m also putting a dwarf Apple tree in the corner of the yard to provide additional height.
- Container Vegetable Garden. Where I have space, Especially in the newly formed beds, I’m going to be leveraging the pots I have to grow vegetables and herbs.