Lawncare Woes

This is the year I’ll finally get a handle on the yard and the garden. Or at least that’s what I’m telling myself. I may or may not have said the same thing last year.

When we bought this house, the structure itself wasn’t the only thing in need of TLC. Both yard and garden had been left in somewhat of a disarray. It was clear neither had been tended to in a few years, at least not properly anyway. It’s been an uphill battle against overgrowth, weeds, crabgrass, and crappy soil. Just when I think I’m starting to win, nature throws a curveball and I’m left confused and frustrated.

Last year, I excitedly planted both vegetables and herbs, only to have a critter come and promptly eat everything down to the nubs in a few days. The fence I built came too late for the parsley and cilantro. They made a valiant effort to bounce back from their unexpected haircuts but to no avail, both giving up the ghost early in June. We did manage the save the basil and rosemary, and the lawn did decently well until the July heat hit full force.

Being that we were going to spend at least half of August busy with wedding preparations, I let go and gave into the weeds and crabgrass.

I’m getting an early jump on things this year, in the hopes that I’ll finally be able to wrangle this stubborn beast into submission. I spent an hour this afternoon pruning and thinning down the fruit trees in our back yard. Maybe this will be it and things will finally go the way I’ve planned. Those of you seasoned gardeners who can offer any advice, it would be greatly appreciated.

Here’s to being cautiously optimistic about the 2017 growing season.

Cheers!