Our Homegrown Park Progress: Our Private National Park is Registered and Here Is Our Progress in Pictures

Began prepping the ground and setting plan in motion end of January / first of February 2023:

Description of our steps  

• first we marked off the space, 65 x 25 ft (1,625 sq ft) at the top of our backyard, just in front of the property line of big pine trees
• next lay down cardboard to kill the grass (hint: furniture stores have big boxes – for free – they already flatten for recycle and are glad for you to haul off for them)
• lined up irregular rectangle boulders to form a border and to keep the mulch and soil in place (as the yard is about 45 degree slope it could wash down)
• we brought in some compost from a neighbor (again free) and spread it out
• mulched up leaves on top and water it down so it stays in place when the wind blows
• then we had 24 tons of soil and mulch delivered
• several days of shoveling and raking to spread it out
• added an archway and planted grapes to climb over it
• installed a worm bin and added a bee bath (shallow dish with stones near the ground)
• created the pathway through the center with mulch
• began planting ONLY plants native to Virginia
• Bought a metal bench and pulled out an old wheelbarrow and our granddaughter helped paint them as rainbows
• planted more plants, and more plants
• expanded by another 28×25 ft = 700 sq feet, moved the boulders to the outside edge
• placed cardboard to kill the grass then topped it with soil and mulch
• planted the fig trees and Yucca Plants in the new addition
• butterflies, birds, praying mantis and bees are showing up
• the side of the house converted to garden area 6×22 ft = 132 sq ft
• created compost bins out of pallets (5×15 ft) and another on ground compost pile is (5×22 ft) for a total of 185 sq ft (2024 this expanded to 6×40 ft on the ground)
• front flower bed is 3×17 (51 sq ft)
• the front hillside which is actually steeper than the back is marked off and planted with wildflowers 25×65 = 1,625 sq ft
• the pictures below were the result we were aiming towards – only flowers native to this area in Virginia, tall flowers nearest the pine trees then shorter flowers near the front edge, we added a walkway winding through the middle. We made it perfectly and have 4,318 sq ft of pollinator gardens and 515 vegetable gardens. We have converted a total of 4,833 sq feet from “lawn”
  

Update to both vegetable garden#3 on December 3, 2023 expanded by 186 sq ft and an additional Milkweed Garden on front hillside on December 26, 2023 of 121 sq ft – we now have a total of 5,140 sq ft converted from lawn to garden and we planted 110+ bulbs in the new section of Pollinator Garden.

February 2024 preparations begin

August 2025 the gardens are flourishing – we are blessed. We created a tomato garden at the curb of the road and put a sign for anyone to come pick…sharing our blessings.

April 2026 a new year begins. We now have two peach trees, a nectarine tree, a cherry tree, two apple trees and a mulberry tree. We have a fully planted vertical tower of herbs. The gardens are planted and we now wait for the growth and eventual harvest.

Vertical Tower: Cinnamon basil on very top. Next layer down is Succulent Sedum (just for fun, not edible), Sparkler Lavender, Tarragon, Oregano, Sage, Hyssop. Next layer is two Black Seed Cumin, Variegated Lemon Thyme, Rosemary, Nasturtium (edible flowers), Pesto Basil. Next layer is Curly Parsley, two more Nasturtium, two Plain Italian Parsley, Chives. Next layer is Chamomile, three more Chives, Marjoram, Silver Queen Thyme. Bottom layer is Pineapple Mint, Dill, English Lavender, and three sections of carrots

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By way of interest, the history of our vegetable gardens since 2019 as a single small front garden then doubled in size to 13×8 ft in 2020 and covered as a greenhouse in 2021. In 2020 we had a 4×5 small garden #2 which then increased to 15×15 ft in 2021. We added garden #3 as a 12×15.5 ft in 2022. Making 515 sq ft of vegetable garden space plus additional flowers beside and in front of the house. Garden#3 on December 3, 2023 expanded by 186 sq ft and an additional Milkweed Garden on front hillside on December 26, 2023 of 121 sq ft – we now have a total of 5,140 sq ft converted from lawn to garden (701 sq ft is vegetables)