When we installed the artificial grass, we weren't aware of all the unsightly tiles and concrete on the perimeter of our backyard. But.. I don't think the artificial grass guys would have been willing to jack hammer away the concrete for us anyways.
So we have been stuck with beautiful articial grass with some random tiles and concrete adjacent to it. This is the same area where I mentioned in this previous blog post about a creepy alley that needs to be barricaded, and a wall that needs to be hidden or repainted.
I don't know why I didn't think of this sooner, but 2 weeks ago, I realized: I can cover up the alley, the ugly wall, AND the concrete+tile with a raised garden bed. I spent my entire 8th grade woodshop class shivering in the corner, fearing I would lose a finger in the circle saw... so.. building a traditional wooden raised bed was out of the question. Now, Jeff is too busy to participate in my random hobbies, like... increasing the value of our home... so recruiting Jeff's assistance to make a wooden bed wasn't an option. I knew I had to do this project all on my own, and I had to find a different material for the raised bed. Something that was already pre-made, that I can just purchase and lay down in the yard myself. At the church across the street from my home, they built a small cinder block raised garden bed a year ago. I'll do just that!
4 trips to Home Depot with my good friend Savvy in tow, we returned back to my house with 28 cinder blocks, 2 half cinder blocks, 2 bricks, herbs, succulents, and 30 bags of soil. Over the course of 1 week of working during Caitlin's afternoon nap, my cinder block raised garden bed is complete!!
BEFORE:
Succulents hiding the alley behind our garage.
A wall that needs a paint job, also hiding behind the succulents
Random tile and a square of concrete on the ground, next to my artificial turf
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The cinder blocks laid down.
No soil added yet.
Succulents still in containers.
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AFTER: Cinderblock location is finalized Soil has been added into the raised garden bed, as well as into the nooks of the cinder blocks Succulents have been removed from their containers into the raised bed. 2 herbs have been planted into the right side of the raised bed. Ugly wall that needs a paint job is still successfully hidden. Oops... the scary alley behind my garage is exposed. How do I hide it?? |
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I am terrible at keeping plants alive and watered, so I am thinking that the left of the garden bed will be dedicated to my succulent collection and the right side will be for edible, bee-friendly, drought tolerant herbs. Small vegetables like green onions and arugula will be grown in the "nooks" of the cinder blocks.
What are your thoughts?
Does the raised bed make the yard look better? Did I increase the value of the home?
Or did I ruin it, and I should have just left the yard the way it was?
