A blank slate, waiting to be planted...

That is what our backyard is right now. A blank slate. Oh how I love me an empty canvas with which to work! The possibilities are endless!

There are big plans in the works for this scruffy plot of dirt and grass. And they involve all things green!

Late last fall we had the two ginormous trees that overpowered our backyard removed. Yes they were majestic old trees, probably hundreds of years old, towering well above the roof of our home. But they had gotten entirely too big. And the roots were just inches from the foundation of our house. 

So away they went. You can still kinda see some of the tiny wood chips from where we had the stumps ground down. Removing these two trees has finally allowed our backyard to be flooded with sunlight. Full sun. All day. Just what is needed to grow a big huge overflowing

GARDEN!!!

Yes! This year we will finally get to plant what I consider our first real garden! Not just a few veggie plants in a patch of dirt next to our driveway. I am talking BIG! I am talking LOTS of plants! I am talking a wide variety of veggies and herbs! Yep...we're taking on an awfully ambitious project. It is one I hope we find success with. I have confidence we will. Oh I am sure there are some things that we find don't work well, and we can tweak those things for next year. As I mentioned the last couple years in my garden posts...we learn as we go. And as I have mentioned in numerous other posts, not just ones that are garden related, I am all about the journey, the process. It is not all about an end result for me (though the end result of a garden is something yummy and wholesome and nutritious!). But, still, even with gardening I am all about learning and growing.

So, these are the plans in the coming weeks and months for this empty space.....

* turn over and till the soil that is there

* my husband and brother are going to build 6 - 8 raised beds that will be laid out in a grid with pathways in between that I plan to cover in crushed stone

* when the beds are built we plan on getting a delivery of really good quality gardening soil which we will beef up with organic hummus and other soil nutrients

* the garden beds will be enclosed with a picket fence with a gate at one end and I am hoping a small arbor at the other.... (did I mention that Kevin isn't necessarily in the loop on all of my plans...?)

* I would like to plant perennials around the outside perimeter of the fence

I have the whole thing sketched out and I have been saving pictures of gardens from magazines and online. Ambitious? Yes. But I think we can do it!

So what are we going to plant? Well, for veggies we are planning on:

* tomatoes...several varieties

* peppers...several varieties

* zucchini

* summer squash

* cucumbers

* string beans

* carrots

* peas

* spinach

* romaine lettuce

* butter lettuce

* eggplant

* broccoli

* scallions

* hopefully pumpkins! Maybe better luck this year???

* butternut squash

* scallions

And, of course, herbs:

* basil

* Greek oregano

* Italian flat-leaf parsley

* chives

* cilantro

* thyme

* mint

* rosemary

and whatever else catches my eye!!!

I simply can't wait to get my hands in the dirt!!!!!!!!!