No Turning Back Now

 

I have been wanting to do something with this boring and barren area right in front of my house for quite some time now. I guess there is no time like the present. Especially when you are right in the middle of building a Big Intimidating Row Garden and a Chicken House mixed with a garden gate for the lawn mower to pass through and moving an aging and disabled father and all his crap. This week. I always do this to myself. It must be genetic. Anyhow, I have been playing with a drawing and design plan for this space on earlier posts and decided to just start. Then I couldn't talk myself out of it and put it off until next year.

Do you like the camper in the front drive? We also had plumbing issues last week had to use the camper for our bathroom. At least we had the camper and didn't have to rent a porta-potty. That would have seriously freaked me out. One power auger rental later and some very unsavory moments of cutting roots from the sewer line, we once again had plumbing. I love old houses. I really love old plumbing. Good times.

 

I suppose you are now wondering what the trench is. Well, I will tell you. I don't know, it just seemed like the first logical step. I was planning to define the new planting bed with an edge then cover it all with cardboard and start layering dirt and compost on top of that. I figured the cardboard would turn the underlying turf into compost and it would allow me to not dig all that lawn out. I like to edge all my planting beds with river rock and thought I would raise this planting bed to kind of give it that garden room feel. Then after a rain, it dug up pretty easily and I decided..... well, I am not sure what I decided. I just thought I would start. I think I already have enough rock to edge it and will have to get dirt and utilize our huge compost pile in the back field. This area is always wet and I would like to get plant feet out of the soggy parts. It is a low spot in my yard.

 

As you can see, the outline of the planting bed only loosely follows the plan. Flat rocks are hard to find around here so I will make a paver walkway instead. The flat rocks I already found  will become bench landings or a nice spot for a little table and chairs. I suppose I will decide that one on the fly too. Funny how I plan to plan and make a master list to add to the things to do list. But my plan always changes at the last minute. Maybe that isn't so funny and I should seek help for this problem. But it works for me and Doyle has learned to roll with the punches.