2010 Garden Project Review!

Last January I came up with 9 garden projects that I wanted to accomplish. As is my tradition over the last several years it’s time to review and see what I actually achieved!

The block areas are from my 2010 project list and the bullets are what was accomplished.

1) First and foremost I need to finish the greenhouse. I’m close, so close I can see where everything is going to be inside, what landscaping I plan to do on the outside, and the potential this project has for my garden. The greenhouse still needs siding, sealing, flooring, insulating, and painting/staining. If I can get it sealed and insulated the rest can wait until later.

• Structurally the greenhouse is about finished! The siding is done, the sealing is almost done (a few more places to caulk that seem to appear when I’m not looking), the flooring is in progress (I need more free bricks), insulating is done, and the panting is almost finished. The weather changed to cold on me before I could finish painting the doors and windows. I also need to set up the green roof overhang.

2) I want to build at least four more raised beds for the vegetable garden. Raised beds are definitely the way to go in small backyard gardens. The raised beds I intend to put together will be 2’x10′ in size like I put together in this raised bed vegetable garden layout.  I also have one more place I would like to install an extremely long but narrow raised bed or a series of beds to move my strawberries into.

• I managed to piece together two raised beds using leftover lumber and decided to leave the area where the other two were intended to go to remain open ground. I ended up planting 10 mounds of potatoes which  gave us some yummy Yukon gold potatoes to dine on! The strawberries still need moved but that will probably have to wait until after they have fruited in 2011.

3) Build the fence around the vegetable garden! Here’s one project from last year that hopefully will get tackled in 2010.

• Yet again I deferred the fence to the following year! This will be at the top of the 2011 to do list!

4) Landscape the beds in the back of the backyard with a variety of plants and flowers. I’ll put together a design plan soon that will show some general ideas I have for the back corner of the yard where the greenhouse resides.

• The landscaping in the back near the shed is mostly put together. I can’t wait to see how it fills out in 2011! Annuals, perennials, and some shrubs and trees (crape myrtles, viburnum, maple, red twig dogwood, and others) will fill it out!

5) Finish the patio sidewalk to the garage door.

• Like the fence this one was deferred to 2011. Work on the shed took away a lot of time from other projects but 2011 should see results in other areas!

6) Build a decorative bridge! I’ve been wanting to get to this project for a long time with some old deck lumber I have in the back. Unfortunately much of the wood may be not be usable but I’ll see what is and put something together.

• The bridge still hasn’t been put together yet – I still have the wood – I just need the time!

7) Put in some new garden areas on our front hillside. I want to transfer several Russian sage plants from our front garden for use in this new area.

• The Russian sages have all been moved to new locations and should enhance our hillside garden. I need to mulch once a nice warm day comes along…

8) Redo my front sidewalk garden. The Russian sage plants are getting a little large and need transplanted somewhere, it’s a good thing I have a spot for them!

• The Russian sage plants have found new homes – I can’t wait to see them bloom in their new locations!

9) Establish the hillside pathway. We have some pretty large slopes that are covered with weeds and brush. Some of the weeds are welcome because they house beneficial insects but I would like to edge and add gradual steps  up to the top of the slope and eventually landscape the resulting new garden areas.

• There’s still a lot of pathway to make. I need to widen the sides but I kept the pathway mowed and mostly clear throughout the growing season. the biggest issue is the wild blackberry branches that attack me each time I ride up the hill on the mower. They will have to be trimmed back!