So we have moved again, and God willingly this time we will be
here for the long haul, which in turn will allow for me to finally get another
garden established, as we have moved the last two summers, disrupting any real
chance of getting a garden established. So my initial plans are to start off
with a 4’x8’ raised bed and a 3’x8’ raised bed, both over the asphalt portion
of the yard. We have decided, instead of taking away lawn space we are going to
garden over the paved half. And at least initially instead of digging up the
asphalt, we are going to build the raised beds directly over the asphalt where
it is raised up on shims. I am looking at doing a similar system
as seen in the article:
How
to Build a Garden on Top of an Asphalt Driveway.
The thinner of the two raised beds will go under the family
room casement windows, creating a buffer, so people (specifically kids) don’t
crash into the windows when they are open
when it is nice out. I will most likely plant a salad garden in this bed,
with perhaps a few perennial herbs along the border. Currently I am still
playing with the idea of making the beds nominally 12” deep, consisting of two
2”x6” stacked on top of each other.
As for the front yard, I have already planted saffron bulbs,
and am hoping they come up this summer/fall. I also plan to hopefully fill the
borders of the entry walk with phlox and then plant daffodils and tulip bulbs
to come up through the phlox in the spring. But ideally I should find some perennials
that bloom in the summer/fall to plant amongst the phlox to have color there
for a longer part of the year.
