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A Farm of My Own:  An open canvas!  |
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deleted
136 Posts
donna
honesdale
pa
136 Posts |
 Posted - May 01 2011 : 06:03:23 AM
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Hello Ladies! I KNOW I will get some good ideas here. Though I would post a pic or 2 of our little house here in NE PA---where we are still getting frost at night and today it is a rather chilly morning at 43 degrees :0)
So, we have lived in our "needs updating" home for about 4 years. We wanted to live it in for a while to get to KNOW the house before we did anything major to it---not that we could afford that anyway, but we do one project at a time and so far, so good.
This spring we tackled our yard which is small---about 1/3 acre total. It has some very unlovely/overgrown trees that we have just removed. And sad to say, we had to put up a privacy fence as our one neighbor was not so neighborly and his pets roamed our yard---and saw fit to attack one of my kids...so here we are.
But this huge empty canvas of a yard needs so much attention I barely know where to begin!
We know we want a garden---small this year, maybe even just a container garden as I know the soil needs a lot of prepping!
We have a pool---one of those 4 foot pools that come down at the end of the year...not the "blow up" ones---but the ones with the frame. So that does take up the blue tarp area you see  .
I have my 3 boys and we want some sort of hang out area for them and their friends---and a small fire pit...and...and see where I'm going! SO much to think and plan.
Well, any ideas???? The last pic is the view from our deck...
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Ingrid
True Blue Farmgirl
432 Posts
Ingrid
BC
Canada
432 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2011 : 08:34:42 AM
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A blank canvas what a fabulous place to start. My suggestion would be to draw it out, not perfectly to square but will give you an idea how things fit. If your ground needs prep I would pick the spot for your garden and start the layered compost idea. Raised beds always work nicely and can be removed later if you want. One project at a time and you will see a wonderful yard take shape. Have fun and great gardening.
Give thanks to yourself everyday for all the wonderful things you do! |
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natesgirl
True Blue Farmgirl
1735 Posts
angela
martinsville
indiana
USA
1735 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2011 : 09:39:32 AM
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You could try lookin on craigslist and freecycle for people who have manure. I found a lovely large animal rescue that allows people to haul off the manure for free. We have done wonders for our garden with it since we had what the ag dept people called 'dead ground'. We couldn't even get dandilions to grow!
Farmgirl Sister #1438
God - Gardening - Family - Is anything else important? |
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Tall Holly
True Blue Farmgirl
2305 Posts
Holly
Worcester
Vermont
USA
2305 Posts |
Posted - May 01 2011 : 5:33:14 PM
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I would like to suggest a tree house for the boys. I does not need to be too far off the ground depending on their ages. There are some great books out now on how to build treehouses.
I put rosa rugosa along one side of our fence for the garden. They are pretty and in the fall have rose hips to make jelly which is high in vitamin C.
I have seen some people in Montpelier have raised beds that have permanent arched pipe over them for remay I would guess so they can start their gardens early and still have produce after the frosts. If you did raised beds you could control where the manure went in stead of it spreading out across the yard.
I have also seen at one house a chalet of sorts for chickens. the top of the peak is a nesting box and the bottom is open so they can get to the grass. It is small enough so two people can move it.
If your boys are little you will need a sand box of some sort or a dirt pile. They could help you spread out the dirt with their trucks.
That is all I can think of for now.
Holly
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KathyC
True Blue Farmgirl
583 Posts
Kathy
Gastonia
NC
USA
583 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2011 : 11:57:08 AM
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You might look here for some fun and very inexpensive ideas http://www.shelterness.com/ like walkway from wood slices (I'm gonna do this one for sure), patio heater from an old washing machine tub, pallet furniture for the patio, planters from old tires, shadow boxes for the fence and lots more. Most of these things can be had for free if you look around.
Have fun.
Kathy |
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n/a
deleted
136 Posts
donna
honesdale
pa
136 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2011 : 1:29:46 PM
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My boys are big--I guess :0(...I mean they are big to me at 12,13,16---they all have summer birthdays so up them one year soon enough!
A tree house would still be a nice thing---though I think it would be more like a club house since we do not have any trees in which to put a house :0).
I would like to have a small garden this year but will def be utilizing some sort of raised bed to prep the soil for next year. Something small about 8x10 is all. We have a horse owner down the road and I am sure I can get some manure from them :0).
I am looking into some flowering bushes for the back of the property. Not Forsythia because they get so over grown. What about azaleas...I see the purple and pink variety around here so I assume they do well!
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BalancingAct
True Blue Farmgirl
297 Posts
Jackie
Hoosierville
USA
297 Posts |
Posted - May 02 2011 : 5:59:45 PM
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Too bad you don't live closer to Indiana. I have some wonderful compost for your garden.
Farmgirl Sister #2851 -"To be yourself in a world that is constantly trying to make you something else is the greatest accomplishment." ~ Ralph Waldo Emerson |
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n/a
deleted
136 Posts
donna
honesdale
pa
136 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2011 : 04:44:06 AM
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| Aw, thanks so much...I don;t think I could afford the gas for a trip out there though :0).Such giving people on Farmgirl! |
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walkinwalkoutcattle
True Blue Farmgirl
1675 Posts
Megan
Paint Lick
KY
USA
1675 Posts |
Posted - May 03 2011 : 08:15:56 AM
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What about some scrap wood for a bench? Or a few cheap patio chairs (freecycle, cheapcycle, craigslist, goodwill) around a firepit?
Farmgirl #2879 :)
Starbucks and sushi to green fried tomatoes and corn pudding-I wouldn't change it for the world.
www.cattleandcupcakes.blogspot.com
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A Farm of My Own: An open canvas! |
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An open canvas!
