I just moved into a new home with a great yard and I’m dreaming of ways to make it sustainable and fun- composting/gardening (keyhole garden), a greenhouse, pond, rainwater collection, chickens maybe a play area.
I’m just in the planning and research stage and I’d love any advice or ideas. Also, there’s a busy railroad behind the property- could that affect any of these projects?
The front is mostly gravel and the PHZM is 8b. Thanks in advance!
by LuckInformal3627
1 Comment
It would probably be nice to put a border of larger/denser (preferably evergreen) trees along the back to block some of the noise from the railroad (+ privacy) it would also be good to plant some sort of buffer between the goat pen and the house (assuming you have goats) to prevent smells travelling. People usually like to have a small, more well maintained recreational/relaxation area near the house and then have the more “wild”/less frequently maintained stuff farther away, both to make maintenance easier and to make the area as beneficial to wildlife as possible by avoiding scaring animals off/disturbing nests and such with yardwork. But you could also do a cool maze style garden where you have thin paths leading between densely planted areas that open into specific use zones, like little satellite patios, a pond or the firepit.
Adding: I would also recommend, once you have a general plan, breaking the yard up into “priority zones.” ie say you know you want to have a border along the back and a patio area asap, but you don’t care so much about putting a massive bed in the back right corner just yet, and a pond sounds like a lot of work with how busy you are. Put the patio and border in group 1, which you’ll work on/finish this year, the bed in group 2, which you’ll do the following year, and then the pond in group 3, which you’ll do the year after that. It’s way easier than trying to do everything at once and having everything be a little bit half assed and neglected vs being able to put your full attention and time into a few things that you’re really motivated to do.