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We did this project a couple of years ago and have had a chance to visit it several times since. In the back garden of this little bungalow was a bare open area next to the newly constructed garage. The young couple wanted to grow their own food. We created a separate area and fenced it off with a short cedar and welded wire fence and constructed 3 nice large raised beds using cinder blocks.

Before a nice blank slate.

Before a nice blank slate.

Constructing raised beds.

Constructing raised beds.

We like to use cinder blocks to constructed beds instead of wood because wood rots far to fast in our hot humid climate. We also like the cinder blocks because we can make them seating height and add a cap stone that makes them easy to sit on when you are planting, picking or weeding.

 

Gravel instead of grass.

Gravel instead of grass.

The pergola was already here and is designed to hold two hammocks.

Each bed is irrigated and has its own shut off valve.

Each bed is irrigated and has its own shut off valve.

Here we set out the plants for the orchard bed. Taking a 2 dimensional drawing and making it real means measuring and setting out the plants to make sure they fit before starting on the planting.

Constructing cedar and welded wire fence.

Constructing cedar and welded wire fence.

The welded wire is sandwiched between pieces of board. It is designed so water doesn’t get trapped and sit on the wood. This helps prolong the life of the fence.

Ready for gate.

Ready for gate.

Our most popular picture on Houzz : )

Our most popular picture on Houzz : )

Starting to plant herbs and vegetables.

Starting to plant herbs and vegetables.

The weeds are easy to pick out of the gravels because it 3 inches deep and the weeds have a hard time rooting in. We planted honeysuckle on the fence to help attract pollinators to the garden.

Here you can see the little orchard.

Here you can see the little orchard. Still waiting to put in a lemon tree.

From left to right we planted a Mid-pride peach, a good selection for a warm climate like Houston. Next a Cara Cara navel orange, Gulf Beauty plum and  a Meyer lemon. The trees are surrounded by ornamental grasses that will provide ground cover to choke out the weeds. The border is trailing rosemary.

Close up of the fruit tree bed.

Close up of the fruit tree bed.

The trees are staggered to give them a bit more room to grow. They will need to be pruned so they don’t out grow the small space. I found a great article that I saved to  share with clients called What Is Backyard Orchard Culture?  It gives useful information on growing fruit trees in a small area.

A visit a year on. Everything is filled in beautifully.

A visit a year on. Everything is filled in beautifully. It is a fun and functional space.

The oweners added netting to keep the birds and bugs out of there veggies.

The owners added netting to keep the birds and bugs out of there veggies.

You can see the cedar is starting to gray and everything is working well.

We returned early this spring.

You can see the cedar is starting to gray and everything is working well. We heard they had a crop of peaches the year before and enjoyed grilling them and serving with honey drizzled on top. YUM

For more pictures of this project, including what we did with the rest of the yard,you can go to our Houzz board on it.

Happy Gardening!