Here is my garden/yard

[vfem]

rapa centroventina this says broccoli rabe (what is this??)

This is Broccoli Rabe, its an italian version of broccoli with bitter leaf you can cook (usually in garlic) and the florets look like broccoli does but on longer shoots and small florets compared to broccoli's huge crown. Its still yummy!

 

[smom1976]

alrighty here are some updated pics. Pulled the pool into the hole yesterday... we have a little more leveling on each of the posts.. but we are in very good shape. We will start filling the pool and then backfilling..

and here are a few pics of flowers that have managed to bloom in this crazyness of a back yard.. these were given to me from someone who has a BEAUTIFUL yard that she has worked on for many years and they are moving and the person moving in doesnt want plants. (that was a major selling point of the house)

oh and my "stick" bloomed LOL .. this is only one of the apple trees.. the others didnt bloom..

one more for MOM ..

Oh my poor back yard.. it is in shambles.. please forgive the mess...

one more thing... My husband and I were doing some errands and I asked him if we could stop at lowes.. his back was hurting real bad but he stoped anyway and walked around with me some more.. that was nice of him... anyway while he was inside the garden center I was outside and noticed a fig tree that looked like it had fallen off the stand and there was some dirt missing.. (it needed to be planted) so I went in and asked the sales lady about the fruit trees out there bla bla bla.. did some haggling and picked it up for $12 .. so we got a fig tree.

I will post a pic of it too.. I need to get it planted *hides* I dont want it to die..

 

[smom1976]

As you can tell in the picture.. it is not really level.. we THOUGHT it was just the area around the edges.. you know kids knocking the dirt into the hole by running around it..

We started filling the pool up after leveling the ring around it.. and the water ran to one side .. the ground was way off..

so we have another 2 more days of digging/leveling.. I am at least 2/3 done leveling.... I will have it done tomorrow..

My husband bless his heart did the leveling the first time.. so I am "helping" him the second time.. at least we didnt fill it too full.. just enough to let the kids get in and fill the watering can about 20 times.. LOL

 

[vfem]

Have you used one of those gas powered ground packers? It will give you a nice tight pack which you need or the weight of the water will undo all your hard work!!!

I don't want you to have to empty, level and refill over and over again. We have to use one to create our path, and we'll use it again to do our flagstone patio out by the pond this summer.

 

[smom1976]

It is level! and it is filling..

rather than fill in and then have to pack.. we just "scraped" more off of the packed dirt.. all the dirt left was packed.. but thank goodness it is level and the pool is filling.. I AM SOOO TIRED!!

but it is done and I look out my window and now there is just a little blue blob..

 

[smom1976]

TAKE A LOOK NOW it is still not done.. but we have about 1/4 of the area around the pool leveled and raked and ready to throw some seed onto..

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I think I am going to plant little flowers around the whole thing. not sure tho.. I have to make sure we can get to anyone around the whole thing in case something goes wrong with one of the kids.

oh and as for it being level .. just take note of that wonderful looking water line

 

[smom1976]

Ok here are some updated pictures of the pool and the garden..

the better view out my back door.

my tomatos the first row..

I have two rows.. first and second row.. second row is smaller

the cucumbers up toward the fence

my potato bins.. I had to put news paper in where the dirt was sliding out. Lesson.. I will line the whole thing with news paper when I start out next time.

this is where I planted my asparagus.. I can leave them here for years to come. Hopefully they will come up.. so far nothing

this is my bed with okra all on the right and bananna peppers on the left side..

on the left is onions, middle is garlic, and right is shallots..

on the left is sweet macaroni red peppers.. tomatos in the middle and jalapeno's on the right.. with one lonely pumpkin.. (will have to move that one later)

a pic of the whole thing kinda

here is one view of the herb garden.. I still need to fix the pump. I just have to clean it out and run electricity.

another view

I let those chickens out for 2 hours and look what they did to my grapes.. one thing is that their roots are getting a good chance to establish..

and one last pic for now.. my pinapples that i have had growing on my window sill for over a year are now planted in pots..

 

[smom1976]

we had some bricks given to us so we made another garden .. we have tons of dirt left still anyway..

 

[vfem]

You have been one SUPER SUPER busy mom!!! Oh my gosh!!

I am worn out just looking at all that. I was going to go out and do some more work today in the garden, but now I'm so pooped out I'm going to go take a nap instead! LOL

Oh you should be soooooooooooooo very proud after all that work.

Oh, and I REALLY like your new brick raised bed you are creating.

 

[smom1976]

with flowers.. and get this the landscape fabric that we used behind the wall was recycled plastic bottles. Yay earth!