garden before and after

i wish i had all the original pictures from when we first moved in. the backyard was a mess! it was chalk full of overgrown weeds, invaded by blackberries, and suffering from years of neglect. however, i did find a few pictures of what we started with on justin's computer. check it:

 (our buddy a.j. practicing his chainsaw skills on a tree in out backyard...notice the awesome shed)

 (a better view of the two rusted out sheds left for us to enjoy, that groundcover to the left...blackberries!)

(after the removal of sheds and one tree)

(justin loading up the previous owners things and hauling 'em out of our line of vision. the previous owner still owns the acre and a half behind us, so it is technically his property but i am the one staring at it)

(after we had it disked and removed all the blackberry bushes)

(the garden boxes)

the pictures below were taken this evening. phase two of backyard makeover will not happen until next summer, but will entail a patio with a sitting area adjacent to the garden. 

(there are four boxes, one has peas and beans, the other a variety of squashes, the back are carrots, lettuce, broccoli, cucumber, tomatillos, artichokes, and spinach)

(corn)

(dahlias and sunflowers line the back of our property)

(this picture was from street of dreams. justin and i are using this as a template for what we want to put down next to the garden. i love the idea of having the "step-able" ground cover in between the pavers. as of now that area is being once again taken over by weeds.