It's north facing.
It gets all day sun, on the back wall of my house.
My 2 thoughts so far are:
** fill it up and pave it (maybe build an awning) and make it my bbq area. It's not super close to the back door, but that's OK.
** veggie garden (i do have another veggie garden, but hey, can you have too many?)
** adding a third option makes me a dirty liar, but maybe a rose garden?
Any advice or ideas would be appreciated.
Thanks in advance.
by mr_blue_jangles
2 Comments
Scratch the BBQ idea immediately. I design outdoor living spaces for a living and the number one regret clients have is putting the cooking station too far from the kitchen. You will get tired of hauling raw meat and dirty tongs across the lawn really fast. Plus that brick wall acts as a thermal mass so standing in front of a hot grill with radiant heat coming off the house is going to be miserable in the middle of summer.
Since you have that heat holding brick and full sun you are sitting on a goldmine for heat loving crops. I help people with these kinds of layouts all the time and I would put cattle panel trellises right against that brick or set up wires for espalier fruit trees. It uses the vertical space to break up the boring wall and plants like tomatoes, peppers, or figs will thrive with the extra night heat the bricks release.
Whatever you plant you need to check that soil first because builders love to bury trash and concrete chunks right against the foundation. If you do build a raised bed or plant directly there make sure you keep the soil level at least six inches below any siding or weep holes in the brick so you dont invite termites or rot into the house framing.
Espralier vines.