Curb Side Garden

I have this long narrow patch of land (5ft wide by 45 ft long) in front of my house. Its nestled between the side walk and the street. It should be covered in grass but the only thing growing is weeds. It is in full sun all day and our of reach for my water sprinkler. So I decided to convert it into a mini garden strip. There is a crape myrtle at one end that provides some shade for the only patch of grass. When I set out to improve this patch I wanted it to be

Low maintenance
"Water Wise"
Nothing that would grow over 2 feet (I don't want to block the view of the house from the street)
Inexpensive

I began the conversion by tilling up the swatch of land and then raking out all the weeds. After tilling the dirt was about 1 and a half foot above the curb. Since I'm trying to keep the cost down I decided not to use a border. That would have drastically raised the cost by at least $100.00 My neighbor recently added sprinklers in their yard and the dirt settled creating a valley around their front yard. I ended up shoveling about 25 loads of dirt into a wheelbarrow and spreading it in their yard. That got rid of half the dirt and took all night. The next day I asked another neighbor if he needed dirt and he came and took the other half. He in exchange gave me a soaker hose and a handshake. (I have really good neighbors) Finally I got it low enough that I hoped the mulch would not run off.

I used 9 bags of pine bark mulch and 1 bag of Black Kow compost. I didn't use weed fabric because I didn't want to have to mess with it if I decide to plant something else in the future. I got 3 lantana plants from the clearance section at Lowe's for $2.00 each and a Coreopsis I paid about $6.00 for a few months back. Last year I got a free plant called bulbine from the annual SAWS Spring Bloom event. I divided it into two and planted them by my front door. This year I dug up one of the plants and divided it into 20 plants . I started basil seeds and cantaloupe seeds about a month ago and didn't have room in my garden for them so I decided to put it out in my curbside garden along with 2 pineapple tops and 2 crape myrtle trees given to me by another neighbor. Before I put each plant in the ground I added a scoop of the compost.

Shannon is afraid that someone might steal a cantaloupe. I'm not really concerned. I have some more to put in the garden. I told my neighbors to come get some basil next time they make speg. or pizza.


Materials

• 9 bags Pine bark mulch
• 1 bag Black Kow Compost
• *Soaker hose
• 3 lantana
• Coreopsis
  
• * 2 Pineapple Tops
• *2 Crape myrtle trees
• *20 Bulbine
• **Cantaloupe
• **Basil

*free
**Practically free



Tools Used

• Tiller
• Wheelbarrow
• Rakes
• Shovel
• Broom
• Leaf Blower