It has been a busy few weeks here on this family homestead. Spring brings better weather here in northeast Tennessee and it is time to get outside and start working on the backyard landscaping.
First things first is clean up. I had a rather large pile of brush and construction debris that had to be burned. During the winter months, there is a burn ban in place so it just kind of piles up. Whatever cabinets I didn’t reuse from the kitchen remodel went into that pile too. I am happy to say that the pile is no more. I have just a couple of pieces left that have linoleum so they will have to go to the dump.
With all of the new raised beds that are being installed, (article coming soon) water collection is necessary. I currently have two rain barrels installed collecting water off of half of the house. I plan on adding more from the front half of the house gutter at a later date.
About a month ago I built a lean-to-type building to create some roof space for collecting water. I installed some gutter and a couple of rain barrels and viola, instant rain catchment. However, it is not collecting very much water. It rained pretty hard for a couple of days and it only has one barrel three-quarters of the way full. If anyone has any advice to improve on this please let me know in the comments.
I have also started working on my landscaping. My intentions are to improve the backyard landscaping this summer. I want an oasis that I can sit and enjoy. Well at least an oasis on a shoestring budget.
I have recently added dirt and clay to level out the lower level of my patio area. This area serves as both my planting station and a comfortable seating area. The added dirt has expanded the level surface area and allowed me to incorporate steps into the design.
I don’t have a lot of time to work on this family homestead because I currently work full time. Some of these projects take a while to come to fruition. One step at a time is a step in the right direction. I plan on giving more updates going forward. You have like our Facebook Page to get smaller bite-size updates along the way.
