2012 Garden Upgrade

Last year was the first year that Gross Farms had 6 beds plus the back fence bed. We didn't really plan ahead when we made it, so we just threw the beds in without removing any grass (except the areas where the beds were placed). It was ok, but Aaron really didn't like having to mow the grass back there, and some of the paths weren't wide enough for a lawn mower, so they had to be weed wacked. Additionally, the grass kept sneaking into the beds - we had more grass in the beds than weeds. Here's how it looked at the end of May last year:

Aaron always commented that he wanted to put pea gravel between the beds. He covered half a path in the middle of the summer, but we realized it would be expensive and A LOT of work, so we put it off. We had an unexpected heat wave in March, so it was nice enough to dig the grass while it wasn't yet growing aggressively. Weekend after weekend, Aaron dug up a few paths of grass, covered it with weed barrier, and laid down pea gravel. Two months and about three tons of pea gravel later, every speck of grass is gone from the garden area. I love it, and I'm sure I'll love it even more when the garden is in full bloom.

In addition to getting the rest of the beds ready for planting, now I think that the chain link fence needs some dressing up - maybe some window baskets alternating strawberries and nasturtiums?