Diggin' in the Dirt

As a child, I hated weeding and yard work. Ask my dad and he will tell you that I resisted in every way. But once it was my own home, you couldn't stop me. The first two summers here, I would weed until dark (and sometimes longer, since it was cooler). Two years ago, we gave our front yard a face lift, putting in fabulous low maintenance perennials in yellow, purple and white. These photos are from 2010:

Over the last two years, the flowers and shrubs have doubled in size, filling in most of the spaces. It has been fun to watch them grow (the box woods are clear up to the window ledges, now).

At this time in 2010, we gave only a little energy and effort to the backyard. Jeff took out a raised garden bed and replaced it with a row of dwarf box woods and a large ceramic planter. With help from Jeff's Aunt Mary Lynn and his mother Melody, we had our first vegetable garden that year as well. We enjoyed cherry tomatoes, lettuce and radishes that summer. In the photo below, you'll notice the vegetables were planted in a large section of dirt in the yard. When we bought the house, the oil tank had recently been removed and left behind, was just dirt. I tried to ignore it for a while, but the weeds growing there were relentless. After our vegetable growing season was over, Jeff and I agreed that we didn't know what we wanted to do with that space and he planted grass.

I hope everyone might understand why I spent so little time in the yard last summer; I was a little occupied. Jeff was confused by my lack of interest in yard care, and weeding, given how obsessed I was the year before. Now that Nathan is big enough to play on his own, and the April has provided so much sunny weather, I have had my fingers in the dirt again! It is so nice to have color in the back yard and some interesting shapes. Jennifer helped tear out the sod, resulting in a yard waste bin that weighed 400 pounds according to our collector, and therefore, would not be emptied. Whoops.

I had planned to stop after planting some flowers. Then, on Friday, I discovered a small garden of vegetable starts in my mail box at school, a gift from one of my parents. Well, I couldn't let these little guys go to waste, so I spent the day tearing out more sod (and moved it to an ugly space in the yard, since the yard waste bin is still full). It was a lot of work, in the blazing sun, but the end result is worth it. I can just imagine the many evenings spent in the cool shade enjoying the backyard all summer. We now have cucumber, melon, tomatoes, bell pepper and lettuce planted.

One Christmas, Jennifer made these cute garden stakes out of old silverware and broken tiles.

Our next project is the back fence. It was look liked this since we bought the house. We have put off replacing it, but 2012 is the year! We have admired fence designs from around the neighborhood and Jeff is ready to get going next month. He hopes to have it finished prior to Nathan's first birthday.