Yard When We First Settled Here

We moved into Independence Homestead at the beginning of the summer in 2011, so almost a year ago.  Last year was spent improving the inside of the house and settling in.   While we did routine maintenance on the yard, that’s about all we did outside.  The prior owners were obviously not gardeners, so we started with a pretty minimal setup.  In the backyard there was lawn, an evergreen tree, and a rosebush.  None of that was maintained.   The positive aspect to this situation is that we are starting with pretty much a blank slate.  We can create whatever we want!

Last year as the leaves were falling, we decided that we would create garden beds along the fence around the yard.  We would keep the center as grassy lawn.  In the areas that we were changing into beds, we turned up the dirt and buried all the leaves we raked up.  Over the winter these leaves have decomposed, enriching the soil with organic matter. Continue reading