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Front Garden Ideas

by Lee 4 Comments

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We have an odd shaped small front garden right to the side of the entrance to our home. It’s an area where the builder planted those evergreen bushes that never grow and never die and are absolutely boring to look at. A couple of years ago, we pulled those out and planted some flowers in there. This was nice but, if to be honest, we didn’t take good care of the small front garden. This year I decided to clean it and plant vegetables instead of the flowers.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeHere are some of my front garden ideas that helped me turn this area into a, hopefully, much more productive place.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's Home

First, I started by pulling out all the old plants. Then, I opened up the soil a bit with a garden fork. You just push it down into the soil and move it back and forth to create holes that go deep down. Then you pull the fork out. Doing this will make it easier for the roots of the plants to grow but won’t disrupt the soil too much.

The second thing we did was to add another piece of lumber all around the frame to make it higher so I can add soil.

Once that was done, I filled the garden with a mix of garden soil and compost. Now is also a good time to add some organic soil supplements as well. I use Espoma.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's Home

The wall was yelling ‘trellis’ at me, and right away I was thinking about the stash of bamboos I have behind the shed. Months ago, a neighbor was cleaning an area of his yard where bamboo was growing out of control. I saw the mess of cut bamboos in his front yard and told him I’ll be happy to take them.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeBack then they were green and full of leaves. It took me a couple of weeks to clean them. I ended up with 200 or so bamboo sticks in different lengths. Now they are dry and ready to become a bamboo trellis.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeI measured the width and length of the wall, placed the bamboos on the driveway in a grid pattern and tied each junction with a twine. Then I cut the ends of the sticks that were too long.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeI placed the grid leaning against the wall and pushed it into the soil a bit.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's Home

I know that this will be good enough for beans, but since I already have both green and purple beans growing in the garden, I wanted to plant fall peas here.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeSo I added twine vertically and horizontally in between the bamboos. I think it will be easier for the peas to climb this way.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeI also wanted to utilize the side of the steps. Last year, I planted pole beans here, and they were very successful. This area is getting a good amount of sun, and the beans liked climbing the railing. When I cleaned the beans, I made sure to leave the roots in the soil since beans (like peas) store nitrogen in their roots. If you leave the roots in the soil instead of pulling them out, the nitrogen will gradually release into the soil and become available for other plants (read more about nitrogen fixation here).

Anyway, the soil over there should be very good.

So I placed some bamboos and tied between them. I might need to add some more twine here. We’ll see.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeLastly, I put down bricks, so I have something to step on when I care for the garden.

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's HomeI planted three Fall/Winter crops in this small garden. Peas to climb the trellises, and carrots and green onions in the center. I will harvest the peas before the first frost and mulch the carrots and green onions before it gets too cold. I will probably use hay as mulch, and we will be able to eat carrots and green onions fresh from the garden during the Winter.

I am excited about this small front garden. Even though it’s small, I can still grow many carrots and green onions because those crops don’t need much space. They are great for small gardens.

I hope that maybe this post encourages you to transform a small odd shaped area in your yard into a productive vegetable garden. And I hope you can use those front garden ideas to your benefit.

 

 

Front Garden Ideas - Lady Lee's Home

 

Posted on August 12, 2015 · Last updated June 3, 2020 · Growing Vegetables

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  1. Sheri says

    April 3, 2016 at 11:19 pm

    I look forward to seeing how this goes and grows for you. I have an area I had to put off for a couple years until my cultured stone was put on. No excuse now! Thinking about a climbing rose at the wall then Rhubarb as a base planting then adding a fruiting ground creeper like strawberry.

    Reply
    • Lee says

      April 4, 2016 at 7:46 am

      That sounds like a great plan! It would have been the perfect spot for a perennial garden (rhubarb, asparagus, strawberries…), but I know we are not going to stay in this house so I decided to use it for vegetables instead.

      Reply
  2. stephany rash says

    April 4, 2016 at 6:36 pm

    i want ideas for tropial plants around a palm tree at the enterance of my driveway., any ideas thanks

    Reply
  3. Nelly says

    April 16, 2016 at 12:57 am

    That’s really shwdre! Good to see the logic set out so well.

    Reply

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Hi! I’m Lee Traister, a.k.a Lady Lee. I help homesteaders simplify their homesteading journey while still producing a ton of food! I am a single mother of four, I was born in Israel and raised in an agricultural commune called a Kibbutz. Now I homestead in central NC.

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