Small Backyard Designs: Boxed Gardens

 backyard design  No Responses »
Apr 262009
 

Boxed gardens have been catching on in many backyard gardens, particularly those with small backyard design issues.

Boxed gardens are neat, clean and easy to handle.  Depending on where you placer them and how wide they are will depend if you can easily walk around them or reach across them. Pink Flower
Creative Commons License photo credit: MoToMo

You can have one or two box gardens and place them side-by-side or scatter them around the backyard or even place them on the patio or a balcony. Wherever you place them, just remember to have an easy access to water and adequate sunshine.

A boxed garden is really a frame. To make one, all you have to do is look around your yard, chose a location with six to eight hours of sunlight, prepare the soil, and then frame the space with standard 2-by-4 sections of wood board. I like to make my boxes gardens two to three foot wide.  Any wider and I have trouble reaching the center for garden maintenance.  The length depends on my gardening needs. Nail the corners together for support.

Many gardeners using the boxed gardens use a four foot by four foot size. It’s the size that most square foot gardens use and this method is perfect for square foot gardening

The advantages of these boxed gardens are that they are fast and easy to set up and can be sued in areas that have poor soil. Just add compost and soil or use a lasagna gardening method for building soil.

You can also build a section of the garden one at a time when you need it instead of rushing to put a garden in a few days.

The boxed garden method of gardening is great for small backyard designs, patios and balcony gardens. It is so versatile that it can fit any garden space or family style

Posted by Denise at 10:30 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,

Postage Stamp Gardening

 Small Space Garden  No Responses »
Apr 202009
 

With the increased interest in gardening, gardening space has become an issue. You may have a large backyard but other areas also need space or you may have a balcony and only a few feet of gardening space available. But with small backyard designs and creativity you can make the best use out the space you have. abundance
Creative Commons License photo credit: ginnerobot

Another issue with gardening and backyard maintenance is time. Everyone wants a lush backyard with shrubs, trees, fruit and vegetables and room for family activities but backyard gardening can take time so setting up a small garden or Postage stamp garden as they are often referred to makes sense.

A postage stamp garden is considered a small area that can produce abundant herbs, flowers and vegetables. It can also be an ornamental garden of annuals, perennials and shrubs planted in the ground or in containers making full use of a very small space. How is a postage stamp garden possible? With careful planning, using intensive gardening practices and careful selection of the plants you grow.

In the last few years’ small growing shrubs and fruit trees have been developed. Fruit tree can also be espaliers and grown on a wall. Grapes and other fruit can be trained for arbors and trellises.

Many vegetables are available in a mini size that will be perfect for the small garden and saving space. And even with larger plants if you grow them vertically you will save an amazing amount of space and I find it helps with insect control too. There are fewer places for the insects to hide. My one word of advice with vertical growing is to make sure your trellised, posts or way you fix for the produce to grow on a wall is firm. Theses plants can get heavy when laden with produce so take extra care to ensure they are sturdy.

There are flowers that also stay compact and if you chose carefully many flowers are edible and serve two purposes, beauty and use. And don’t forget potted shrubs, which can be placed outdoors in the summer months and if the right shrub is chosen brought indoors in the colder months for more enjoyment. Shrubs left outdoors may need to be winterized depending on your climate.

Container gardening and vertical growing are two perfect solutions for the balcony gardener or apartment renter with very limited space. Between hanging baskets and containers you should be able to grow flower and produce and create a nice secret garden oasis. And by trying to combine the style of the indoor space with outdoor space you can create a large feel of space in both areas.

If you feel you don’t have a lot of space for a garden look into postage stamp gardening and intensive gardening for ideas on how to grow in a smaller space and how to save time working in your garden area.

Posted by Denise at 11:36 am  Tagged with: , , , , ,

Backyard Projects for the Backyard Oasis

 backyard oasis  No Responses »
Mar 172009
 

With the gardening season almost here, but not quite, I am in a creating mood. I found a few you tubes that have wonderful ideas for you backyard. The first is a Terrestrial Water Bowl.  It’s perfect for that small space backyard, patio or balcony. They say its a 5 minute project.

The next you tube video is all about planting in planters or containers and making the best use out of small space. This is perfect for apartment dwellers and balconies. The ideas they have for planters and containers are quite creative. Use of window boxes, driveways space and other overlooked areas are discussed.

It’s amazing how bowls, containers and planters will make use of those small spaces and unused areas in your backyard or on the patio. The addition of flowers and herbs, trees and vegetables will help create your own oasis for relaxing and enjoying friends and family.

Posted by Denise at 11:09 pm  Tagged with: , , ,

Small Backyard Design

 backyard design  No Responses »
Mar 012009
 

Backyards are a place to relax and spend time with family and friends. It’s your escape from the world and your backyard oasis should be a haven for the entire family. If you live in town or a city your backyard may be very small so you will need to plan to get the most use out of your limited small space. The garden one year on
Creative Commons License photo credit: tristanf

Small Backyard Design

In a backyard that is small you need to make each area count. First decide what is important to you.

  • Entertaining?
  • Small space children’s play area?
  • Work Area?
  • Gardens?

Depending on the size of you backyard you could select 3 to 6 different areas and make them work together.

After you have decided what is important to make your backyard fit your families needs, its time to look at your space available. For a backyard plan to work well you need to choose sections of the yard for different uses. This makes the backyard flow and gives you a feeling of more space. I have found that combining the uses of different areas of the yard will give you more options.

A small patio table and chairs will make a quick entertainment center for one person or more. You can add a few plants and night-lights and you have an instant place to relax. This could be a focal point in a small backyard that the rest of your design revolves around. And you can move the tables and chairs to the side if you need a workspace or want to bring out toys for small children to play with. I have seen these areas use an indoor or outdoor rug to set them apart or patio rock has been installed.

Your entertainment area can serve as a breakfast nook, outdoor work area, crafting area or potting area.I will starve to death if this doesn't end soon.
Creative Commons License photo credit: Cyproject

If you have additional space to the side or on a patio you can add a small fishpond or barrel pond: they look great tucked in corners and take very little space but add atmosphere. Another  idea that adds to the look of a backyard is combining the patio area or deck area in a way that makes them look like one. If the house flows from a deck or patio to the backyard you get a larger feel to your outdoor space. 

Small outdoor furniture will add to the artistic feel of the backyard and create another area to relax. Chairs tucked under tree on in a small garden create a feeling of a secret garden or hideaway retreat. Add a trellis or portable screen and you have a small outdoor room that would great for reading or listening to music.

Add a garden by making use of unused space available by the house or a fence. With small space gardening it’s important to make use of your vertical space. You can easily do this by using trellises and raised beds. It’s amazing what will grow in a one-foot by one-foot area. Also, add hanging baskets to your patio, porch or even your fence will give you more room for plants and create a feeling of a larger yard.

You could even use an area of the backyard for camping or as a mini gym area. And a basketball hoop could easily be attached to a garage or tree. With planning the possibilities are endless.

There is only one concern you need to be aware of. Its great to combine space and use it for several uses, but you need to keep furniture small and not crowd your backyard space or you may get a cluttered look.

With small backyard design techniques you can turn your backyard into a backyard oasis that fits everyone’s needs. And with a few tweaks you can easily update your yard when needed.

Posted by Denise at 1:07 pm  Tagged with: , ,

Backyard Garden: Growing Fruit in your Backyard

 Backyard Garden  No Responses »
Jan 302009
 

The Backyard garden adds one more dimension to your yard and it’s surprising how the addition of plants seem to enlarge your backyard and adds to the relaxing feeling you are trying to create. Your backyard garden area should be an extension of what you like both in design, color and use.

My backyard always has a mix of flowers, vegetables and herbs. They grow in raised beds, theme gardens and hanging baskets. I guess you would call it a backyard jungle. But it’s relaxing and fun. And that is what gardening should be, fun!

Flowers tend to be the easiest gardens followed by vegetables and the last garden variety that tends to be more work are fruit gardens. Fruit gardens need more maintenance to keep insects away. Insects are attracted to the sweet in the fruit and don’t like to take no for an answer

In order to make sure you have a healthy fruit crop you will have to decide if you use a chemical for insect control or use natural insect control. I always use natural pest control that I mix up using home ingredients. I also hand pick insects if necessary. I may loose a few fruits this way but its worth it knowing I have healthy produce and have not hurt the environment.

My backyard fruit garden consist of blueberries, blackberries, raspberries and strawberries. I also grow melons in the garden area. These smaller fruits produce well and are relatively insect free. This is because I make sure I have the best-fertilized soil I can mix up and use a heavy ground cover to keep moisture in the soil. I also grow a few fruit crops in hanging baskets.

My larger fruits do include fruit trees, which is a whole other category when it comes to care

When considering fruit trees I would carefully check your growing zone conditions and take into consideration how much space a fruit tree will take. You will also need to check and see if the fruit trees you select need another tree to help pollinate the fruit crop.

Dwarf trees or espalier trees may be a consideration. They take less space and espalier fruit trees are very pretty and often are used to help create privacy in smaller backyards.

Fruit trees need to have sun and be located in an area where the wind can move through the trees. Growing too close to a larger tree or a building that blocks sun and air current will cut back on your fruit crop. One last consideration is do you have the time to prune your trees? Fruit trees need pruning to keep the tree healthy and let the sun get to the fruit.

Growing fruit in your backyard garden oasis will add more work but there is nothing quite as nice in the morning than a fresh peach that is warmed by the sun or homemade strawberry shortcake. As with all gardening and additions to your backyard oasis you need to consider time and the additional value it adds to your property and your needs.

Posted by Denise at 11:43 pm  Tagged with: , , , , , ,
 Newer Entries
© 2011 Backyard Oasis Suffusion theme by Sayontan Sinha