Can you give me ideas for simplifying my yard?
Please do not judge me (I do that quite well🤐) I'll start out by saying that I cannot keep up with my back yard. I am disabled & use all I can to keep my front yard acceptable.I really need suggestions on how I can basically have NOTHING grow in my backyard except what I put in planters😊 I have crazy weeds (some taller than me) that grow into stinky trees & crazy burrs that I cannot get to go away. I have dogs so I am afraid of weed killers, etc...In the pictures everything on the sides where the Forrest begins is just mulched ground. I do not have and do not want grass as I live in Colorado & we have water restrictions.I was thinking about complete flagstone but I need a more affordable option due to my fixed income.Any information or suggestions will be greatly appreciated!Thank you so much!
gravel everywhere after perhaps hiring a basic crew to come in and remove ALL the weeds, then put down the plastic sheeting under the stones, then the simplest small gravel (so no weeds or plants will grow). you can have benches and pots there for your plants. Since you are disabled you might be able to get help to do this. Call around...see
what services there might be?
No judgment! If cost is an issue, have you thought about a paver patio? With gravel instead of grass in areas you don't want stone?
Raised beds are great as you can add clean soil without any weed seeds and just plant what you want to actually grow.
We use ours for vegetables, but you could plant anything.
https://www.frugalfamilytimes.com/2013/05/how-to-build-raised-garden-bed-boxes.html?m=1
Hop onto freecycle.org to find free supplies in your area. If you are on Nextdoor.com, check there too, I find free stuff all the time where people are either relandscaping or bought too many supplies and just want to get rid of stuff.
Thank you to everyone! This is greatly appreciated! Fabulous suggestions I had not even thought about!
Thank you
Thank you
If you wish to have the yard kept up, contact the guidance counselor at your local middle school and the religious school directors nearby. Tell them your needs. I've hired 12-15 year olds who can't work anywhere else to help or babysit. You save a ton and they earn some money. Win-win!
I live in Colorado also and know how hard it is sometimes to keep things nice and green with the water and the heat. We have a huge area on the side of our house and it was full of weeds. We pulled all the weeds - first thing in the morning is the best time because they come out easier. Then we covered with weed fabric and I covered with gravel. I asked on our neighborhood fb page if anyone knew of a cheap place to buy gravel and there were people in my neighborhood who were actually giving it away. Ask around and you might be able to get some for free.