Hi, so, as the title says. My dad passed away last year, and he left me our Summer house. He had been battling cancer for a couple of years so we weren't very on point with the upkeep.
I finally managed to get the house itself in a functional state, so now I turn my gaze to the garden. It's just under 43k sq ft, and has 2 orange trees, 2 tangerine trees, one pomelo and a fig tree. It also has a water well (that also needs maintaining).
So, as per the title, my main question is: where do I start? I'm here for the weekend, should I get on the weeds and stuff with the weed whacker? Should I just leave it as-is for now and tackle it next Spring?
What do you guys think? I'm kind of overwhelmed with this.
Thanks
by bel_ray
26 Comments
Oh hey I can’t edit: this is in southern Greece, near Corinth
Weed whack it and mow for now. Then you can see and ponder further work.
Wow looks like it will be a lovely spot. No real advice but it should clean up nicely!
Mow
Long pants. Long sleeves. Lopper.
Take your garden fork, pick a spot, and start lifting the unwanted plants. Then make a compost pile.
I’m so sorry for your loss 🙁
I would start with the lawn and weeds now, if you’d like to garden or use that space recreationally and want easier upkeep when the nice weather rolls around. If you plan to use a mower, try going through and inspect the garden “by hand” first (in case you have animals/birds nesting in the shrubbery).
Then I would assess the trees and note any needed upkeep, signs of disease/pests, general state of things etc. For the citruses, now is a great time to ignore them or do some light upkeep, like snapping dead or diseased branches and treating pests. No need to fertilize right now, and unless you haven’t had any rain in a while, no need to water either. The fig I don’t know much about, so would need to factor in research time 😀
The well I would check for leaks and structural damage now, but keep the cleaning and water testing for spring. I’d save repairs for spring as well, unless something can’t wait until then.
Such a lovely garden — a dream. Good luck, and post an update when you finish!
Honestly, if you don’t have plans right away I’d leave it alone. It’s home to countless insects and pollinators rn. Mowing would definitely destroy all of the micro ecosystems in here
Weed-whacking and mowing is fine if you’re sure there are no perennials that you want to preserve.
My grandmother used to say that you should never make big changes to a garden until you’ve lived with it for a year. But maybe you remember what all the plants are?
If you are two hours away and only really there on weekends I’d choose to tackle a 5 meter, about 20 feet, square each weekend. Weed whack, pull up trim the tree(s) in that square.
Anything you decide to do garden wise vegetables and such should be put on a watering timer or you might loose them between visits.
Condolences on the loss of your father. Cancer sucks.
If you’re feeling overwhelmed my advice would be relax. There doesn’t look to be anything that can’t wait until spring. In fact, it’s probably better to have some plant cover when it rains.
The photos don’t show the house but if there are plants up against the house that would be the place to start trimming back to protect the house. Vines climbing on it, wood branches that winter winds will cause to rub against the house and such. If things have started overhanging into the neighbors yard, vines and such, you could trim those too. You could remove plants from around the well to prevent damage to it.
You could remove plants under the trees and bushes so the weeds don’t compete for water.
Or not. Be gentle on yourself. The garden will get there.
If you really don’t want it sell it to me
At the beginning is typically where I start things. Usually end at the end.
Goats. There are likely groups near you that can set you up with goats, containment, and care for them while they eat everything that’s in reach.
Test, modify soil
Always start with a simple clear thing that needs done.
Look for invasive weeds you don’t want and pull those.
As you do small tasks you will gradually start to learn the local geography of the plot.
Keep an eye out for trees or bushes that you like.
Cut dead wood out of those.
Carefully evaluate any trees or bushes near the house – you want to make sure branches are not rubbing on buildings.
Next, mowing near the street or sideswalks so pedestrians have a clear path to walk, you don’t need perfect, just showing that you’re “working on it” and thinking about the community as you do so.
Next, you have to be aware of any rules/regulations about grass and vegetation height “outside of garden beds”. Think about your neighbors view (to be nice) and the drive by street view; most the time, if the street view is good you’re good. It’s mostly report based, so if the front of the property is neat, an overgrown backyard or back property isn’t going to get any notice.
Ask Midlife Stockman on Youtube
Leave the annual weeds until they have seeded then cut to the ground so it’s tidy looking. To limit fire danger remove the cuttings but best to leave them where they land. Plenty of seeds will remain so ground will be nice and green next winter.
I spy annuals that aren’t native to California, the annual mallow you’ve got is native to southern Europe so likely a native plant! ID other weeds, maybe you can call this a native plant spring meadow. You might add other annual flower seed so you get a nicer show.
If you want to establish more plants you’ll need to tend to them weekly at the least. So much scope for an orchard here. Hope you plant avocados. What about pomegranates? Artichokes are dramatic space fillers in winter and spring with a bonus of tasty buds if you get to them in time. Any other perennial veggies that don’t need extra irrigation?
Read up on citrus varieties and plant ones that fit with how you visit this house. You can find varieties so you have fruit most of the year. You can cut the trees back so they are easy to harvest and you don’t get more fruit than you can handle. Except that we are under quarantine for greening disease we can put boxes on the street and invite folks to take what they like. Some food banks will take surplus fruit. I made it my mission to eat all the citrus from my 3 small trees several years ago. Keep sliced fruit in the fridge, drink juice daily, cook nothing that doesn’t have citrus in it! My citrus get monthly deep watering and that’s it.
If you want to grow veggies then build raised beds for easier watering and weeding. If only there once a week don’t plant peas, beans, broccoli and summer squashes as picking even a day late means quality will be much poorer. Green bean and garden pea picking is extremely labor intensive too. I’d build covers to keep critters out as doubtless there are lots of critters that would want some of your veggies.
What about herbs? Thyme, oregano, rosemary, lavender and more love your area and don’t care if you harvest them or not. Use to fancy up the place next to paths and so on.
If you don’t have an association that has strict rules lightly fertilize the trees and leave everything else alone until next year. Since you haven’t watered or done anything you can say it is ***Xeriscaping***. Basically an excuse for survival of the fittest when it comes to plants
I see it’s Greece, but could be Northern California as we have the same weeds. The annual weeds are going to be a problem if you continue to let them go to seed, mowing just before that happens will help
The perennial weeds are also bulbs which will die down in summer, so you won’t worry about them plus they are almost impossible to get rid of…
Create a smaller area for your veggie garden now by smothering the weeds in that spot with cardboard or whatever you have handy and it will be ready in Spring to use…
One thing I don’t see mentioned is the plants right up against the house. When I lived in a hot dry region, we were taught to keep brush away from the building for fire safety. So unless there is a reason to keep those (from temperature control to planted by gramma), I’d see about removing those.
Greek wildfires have made it into the US news and you’re not always there to keep watch.
There is some thought in permaculture that its okay to massively disturb something once with the intention of terraforming it to create a permaculture pasture.
Bush hog, than mow with closer cut mower, start prep
Remove the invasive plants, dig and mix/spray with natural herbicide and pesticide. Wait for a few weeks to make sure none of these invasive plants grow back. Then plant your garden plants.
Wing it, but it looks beautiful now. I’d start with chop and drop.