Planning Our Garden Transformation

I have always been a fan of makeovers. Over the next few months, I hope to chart the progress I make, transforming the patchy lawn and meagre flower garden we’ve had passed along to us by the previous owners of our new home. I hope to have a thriving flower garden, herb garden, vegetable plot and compost heap going by the end of this first summer.

It might look a little uninspiring at the moment, with patchy grass and a narrow band of dirt as the raw material I’ve been given to work with, but the first leaves on the trees are finally unfurling after a long winter, and I am looking forward to planning and transforming the land that is now ours. I have big plans—a flower garden out front, with two enclosed beds next to the house that can feature sweet smelling flowering plants. We'll have one small bed near the office window, and one on the other side of the steps, to enjoy as we walk from the front door and down the steps to the driveway, then around to the backyard.

Next, my plan is to transform the sparse, dandelion-prone lawn out back to a vegetable garden, which will be helped along by the rich organic matter from compost from the bin or heap we plan on setting up. I plan on one veggie patch for me and my spouse, and another small plot or two for the kids, so that they can experience the very rewarding work that goes into creating and sustaining a garden. I want them to watch the slow and beautiful progress of the garden taking shape as the vegetables and flowering plants mature, bloom and bear their harvest. In a few weeks, I will take our two children to the garden store to buy seeds, teach them how deep to plant them; which ones need to be planted in raised mounds; which ones need to be soaked first. I stare at the patch of yard that barely supports a handful of weeds, and I plan on staking beautiful parallel lines with string across the raised plot that will soon be there. I can’t wait for the crunchy root vegetables and the broad leafy vegetables that will grow here by the end of the season.

I plan for an herb garden out back, as well, and if we don’t quite manage that this year, then I will settle for a planter or two brimming with fresh herbs we can grow inthe built-in planters in the deck, to keep nearby to pluck and use in salads or to season our meals. Thyme and sage, Italian parsley and sweet basil, dill, chives, and lavender—these sound like some good basics to plant this first season in our starter garden.