With Spring upon us (although, this doesn’t mean much since it’s still snowing in many parts of the country), it’s time to start gardening, as well as any projects you might have in mind to make your yard more comfortable.
GET DIRTY TO GET CLEAN
First things first: tidying and weeding. These are undoubtedly the worst parts of having a yard, but are necessary in order to create an outdoor oasis for yourself and your family. While this part isn’t “fun”, it helps that you can easily see how your work pays off, which is definitely rewarding on its own. Pulling weeds, raking leaves, discarding things that may have broken over the winter, removing cobwebs from your porch, cleaning outdoor furniture, etc. are all part of the process. Just put on your favorite Pandora station or podcast and get it over with, it’ll be worth it! If you have any trees or shrubs you want removed, this would also be the time to get that done. Shrubs might be somewhat easy, but for tree removal it’s best to call an expert for safety.
PLAN YOUR GARDEN
Once you’ve got a handle on your space, as well as identifying any supplies you can reuse this year, it’s time to plan your garden! If you’re an experienced gardener, you may have already planted your annuals depending on your zone and the plant. Or, maybe you don’t have much room for a garden, or maybe you just detest flowers, whatever! That’s okay, just skip down to the projects section.
Most importantly, when choosing which plants to add to your yard, you must know what zone you are in and how much light your space receives. This will help you find plants that will thrive in your garden, as well as give you an idea of when you should plant them. The tags on plants at nurseries have this information as well. If you’re looking to start a food garden, consider which veggies and fruit your family eats most, as there’s no point in growing a bunch of kale if your family won’t eat it! Some great starter plants that are easy to come by as seedlings are strawberries, tomatoes, and herbs. If you’re brand new to gardening, you may find it easiest to stick with just 2-4 plants at first so you can take the time to learn about them and how to best take care of them, then add more on each year as you like.
Pet owners and parents should take extra caution when choosing plants, as many common flowers and bushes can be toxic when ingested. Angel’s Trumpet, for example, is extremely popular here in Southern California and also extremely toxic, even deadly.
PLANTING
Now, the fun part! Planting! Before you begin, make sure you’ve got a good fertilizer (and lots of it).
Whether you’re in a city or the countryside, wildlife can be a problem and you’ve got to preemptively protect your plants from destruction. Protective cages can be fashioned to the custom size needed with wire sheet found at any nursery, or you can often buy standard sized cages ready to go! If you’ve got a gopher problem, I would highly suggest gopher cages that go underneath the plant.
Laying small rocks or mulch down can be a great way to prevent weeds from coming up and helps plants preserve water, as well as protects your plants from being easily dug up by critters.
Then there’s the P word… pesticides! Not all pesticides are awful and carcinogenic! Neem oil and Dichotomous Earth are two of my favorite all-natural alternatives that help with an array of pest problems. Make sure you get on top of this before the pests strike, rather than being reactive.
PROJECTS
After you’ve planted to your heart’s content, you may notice you’ve got some space left to fill. This could be the perfect opportunity to build a simple patio and fire pit, or a play house for the kids. If your family likes to entertain, there are some seriously cool DIY backyard games you can make and install, such as oversized checkerboards and dominoes, or even your own mini putt putt course!
PROJECT MAPPING
So that idea of your own mini putt putt course may have amped you up a bit, but before you get started you have to plan it all out! I’ve tried many times to do a project by the seat of my pants and I’ve found it just never works. Unless you’re a craftsperson with a thorough understanding of how building and tools work, it probably won’t go so well for you, either. So plan it out! Really visualize EXACTLY what you want in thorough detail. Will you use bricks or irregular stones for your patio? What tools might you need if you go with one product vs. another? Project costs can add up quickly if you need to buy many new tools in order to build something. If you’re trying to stay within a budget, consider what you can make with the tools that you already have. There are many garden projects that require little more than a shovel tool-wise.
Even if you’re not much of an artist, draw a rough sketch of what you would like the final product to be. This will help you visualize supplies that you might need but hadn’t thought of. For example, if you’re building a pergola, how will you attach the beams to the supporting posts? Will you need brackets, or will you need to shape the wood for miter or bridge joints? What types of screws will you use? If you’re hanging a shade sail, what will you attach each corner to and how? Chain may be effective but not as attractive as other options. Get into the nitty-gritty before you even begin so you only have to make one trip to the store and can complete your project more efficiently.
BUILDING
Finally, the building! There’s nothing like making something beautiful with your own two hands. Don’t rush it and do the best you can, this is for you and your family to enjoy for the summer, and hopefully many more in the future! But don’t be afraid to mess up, either. Making mistakes (and learning from them) is part of the DIY experience. I personally like to start with smaller projects to build my confidence if I’m feeling a little rusty to build up to a big project. Don’t forget to wear your protective gear!
ADMIRATION
Surely the best part of all, admire your work after each step but especially when you’re all done! Enjoy roasting marshmallows over your new fire pit, or swaying gently in your hammock under your new pergola with lovely vines growing up it, reaching for the sun. The best part of having your own yard is that you get to enjoy it the way you want to, whenever you want to.
What’s your big summer yard project? I’d love to see photos in the comments below!
Frugal LA Living 