This Is What I Did Last Summer

This summer I decided that I was tired of looking at my dreary yard full of dirt, weeds, and debris. You see my husband and I bought a fixer-upper home three and half years ago.  We worked on the inside and left the outside for last.  We are both artist and designers so we drafted a grand landscape plan for the finale.  However during the last three years my job laid me off so I went back to school and now employers don't notice my resume (despite my three college degrees and experience) so that plan became null and void.  My new plan was a tight $300 budget and all the creative energy and girl power that I could muster up. 

My yard contains three long and narrow sections around the perimeter of the house. I decided to choose one section to work on this summer. This section measures 450 square feet.  I envisioned a peaceful space where I would harvest vegetables from my garden and enjoy them when I dined at my outdoor cafe. Then I visited Home Depot and Lowes for ideas and material options.  I took advantage of sales and I did all the labor myself so that I could complete this section of my yard for $300. I did it! And I am so happy to share.

 

I reused the stepping stones and cinder blocks that were randomly tossed around the yard.  I thought my yard was full of junk but it was full of treasures.  I created a raised garden bed from those randomly tossed cinder blocks. Right now I am composting to create rich soil for my future vegetable garden.  The stepping stones in my gravel walkway were trash to treasure pieces that were aimlessly thrown around the yard.

I completed the hardscape so now I will start planning on the green stuff.  I plan to pot blueberry bushes, grow strawberries, and many vegetables. I will keep you posted on how it goes.