Backyard Project - The Introduction

Let the record show that our backyard is a disaster. A big hot mess. My plan this summer is to turn it around! I know it is awful and horrible, and I will be fixing it up, little by little. I hope you will check back and see our progress! Neither of us are gardeners, nor are we landscapers, but we are creative and hard working. We have definitely let it go back to its natural state, due to unforeseen circumstances in our lives. But that is behind us now and we are ready to start over and better.

The Big Goals:

1. To grow more food and build up our urban homestead
2. To make our backyard a Certfied Wildlife Habitat through the National Wildlife Federation concentrating on birds, butterflies, and bees.

Detailed Goals:

Yep, its a mess. This is a row next to our driveway that used to have herbs in it. Now it is a mix of things, including a ton of oregano.  I am going to pull the weeds out, and plant more herbs here.

These are my cute little strawberries. I have them growing in a gutter my husband painted copper. I love them.

The wall of weeds. I am going to pull the weeds and plant flowers that attract butterflies as part of the certification process.  The pineapple sage and honeysuckle can stay.

The Pineapple Sage.

Pretty Honeysuckle.

The corner of weeds. My husband and I are at odds about what to do here. I want to plant watermelons, he wants to make a covered seating area. On the other side of the fence we are planting blueberry bushes. What do you all think should be here?

I do have some stuff growing in our raised beds. Cucumbers, kale, tomatoes are all going strong. I am planting another box tonight that will be beets, arugula, and radishes.

On the front porch, I have mint growing. My little red haired cousin already picked some off.

My apple tree - already has a ton of apples on it. And also a little gourd birdhouse that black capped chickadees think about moving into.

I have two rosebushes and a hummingbird feeder. My poor roses took some damage from a recent storm!

This is Tobias. He is still looking for his permanent home in our yard, so for now he hangs out here.

Yep, there it is in all its embarrassing awfulness. Please keep checking back to see how we turn this eyesore into a yard that is functional, green, and useful in many ways, and sustaining for us as well as for local birds, bees, and butterflies. I hope you will follow our journey!