Backyard Master Plan

Discussion in 'Garden Design' started by jonmark, Jun 8, 2015.

  1. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    My wife and I have lived at our current address for 3 years. Until now we have neglected the backyard, except for a square foot veg garden. But now we have a toddler who loves to play outside so over the past few months we have been designing an overhaul of the backyard! I'm going to use this thread to keep a record of all we do.

    Until last week we had a few trees and shrubs but no real strategy. That's all changed! We both did some garden design research and worked together to plan our backyard paradise!

    Here's our plan. It's scratchy but gets the job done.
    image.jpg

    And here are the beds I cut in yesterday!
    image.jpg
    I did use a weed/grass killer on the large open areas just for ease of labor, but I will be cutting out cardboard for the areas around the trees and shrubs.

    Next stop: Soil Delivery!

    My question for the community is: How deep should my new top soil beds be? I had planned on 6". Should I do more or less?
     
    Tooty2shoes and Frank like this.
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  3. Riccur

    Riccur Seedling

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    I couldn't exactly make out the entire plans from the paper. Are you looking to replace all that section of grass with new soil ?
     
  4. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    This Fall we'll drop some topsoil for the lawn. This week we are filling the beds on the perimeter with topsoil.

    Our dirt here is hard red clay. We're going to add a layer of topsoil to the beds then amend holes for plants with compost/conditioner.
     
  5. 2ofus

    2ofus Hardy Maple

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    It's going to be a nice looking yard.
     



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  6. Netty

    Netty Chaotic Gardener Plants Contributor

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    I cant wait to see how it all comes together!
     
  7. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    Hello Friends,

    Yesterday was long, tiring, and dirty. I took the day off and we filled out beds with 5 cubic yards (3 truck beds full) of what our soil supplier called Garden Blend. It's screened top soil mixed with Mushroom compost. I borrowed my dad's truck and we got to work!

    image.jpg

    Couple tips:
    1. Lay your tarpaulin down in the truck bed before they dump soil. That way when you get to the end of the bed you can just "roll" the soil out by pulling the tarp.
    2. Lay another tarpaulin beneath the bed to catch runaway soil falling through the tailgate.

    Another 3 truckloads will finish the job so we have more work to do before we can plant.
     
    Last edited: Jun 11, 2015
    Jewell likes this.
  8. 2ofus

    2ofus Hardy Maple

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    It's looking good, Jon, That looks like good soil too. I like you tips. They would sure help on clean up.
     
  9. Kay

    Kay Girl with Green Thumbs

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    Would you like to come work for the landscaping company I work for? :like:
    It looks like you're off to a great start. Have a good time with your landscaping project! Also, remember once you get started, and you get the "bug" you'll never be finished! ;)
     
  10. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    More dirt!

    image.jpg
     
    Frank likes this.
  11. cherylad

    cherylad Countess of Cute-ification Plants Contributor

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    Looks like you've got a great start. I learned the tarp trip after my first truck load of mulch. ;)
    Too bad they couldn't get the dirt dumped in your back yard... that wheel barrow is going to get a good work out.
     
  12. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    Well friends, all the soil has been moved into beds. We moved a total of 11 cubic yards.

    This evening we planted out annuals and perennials!

    image.jpg
     
    Frank likes this.
  13. Netty

    Netty Chaotic Gardener Plants Contributor

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    Looking good! Will you be planting everything from seed? It is a large area to fill, and seeds work well for that without costing a fortune. If you are like me, you might want some 'instant' color too. Oh, just noticed the trees and shrubs along the back fence ... love it! Looks like you have a special area in one corner of the yard ... maybe a bench will go there? I love this project :)
     
  14. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    Netty,

    I plan on building a pergola in that corner with a hammock! First I need to learn to build a pergola.

    And yes, we just planted seeds for cost effectiveness.
     
    Netty likes this.
  15. Riccur

    Riccur Seedling

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    How would you put a tarp under the bed of your truck to catch everything that may be falling out?
     
  16. jonmark

    jonmark Seedling

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    I laid the tarp on the ground below the bed. As we shoveled dirt out some falls be the tarp catches it.
     

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