As some of you may remember, back in April, I resolved to do at least a half hour of yardwork per day, every week through October.  I did this very consistently through August but then had way too many other things to do in September and October.  November and December saw a big push again, namely because I had a gigantic pile of mulch that I had to get off of our driveway before the snow came.  So I basically did 3+ hours of yardwork a week for almost six months.  Here’s what I have to show for all my hard work.

Along with the mulch rings around the trees in our front yard, I also maintained our rock garden and swiss chard patch (which is still growing!),

ripped out a whole section of grass between our driveway and sidewalk and mulched it,

dug out a patch of old, over-grown azaleas (which is when I “roared”!),

and dug a perennial/garden bed that’s about 35 feet long.

This is a slightly outdated picture – I got about 6 more feet of bed dug out before I ran out of mulch and good weather.

You may be wondering where all the plants are.  Good question.  This year, I decided that I was just going to demolish in preparation for building.  I didn’t have time to figure out what plants I want to put into our new garden.  So we have vast expanses of mulch with not much growing in them, ready to be planted in the spring.  One of my goals for January is to map out our new gardens.  We know we want to plant rhubarb and dwarf apple trees.

Does anyone have any favorite perennials (preferably edible) to recommend?

I’m glad I made that resolution on the spur of the moment back in April.  It motivated me to get out into the garden and get some projects done that have been languishing for several years.  Ellie and I had fun working outside together and I’m sure it will be more fun next year when she can use the tools that her grandpa bought her for her birthday!

Finally, our garden:  it just keeps on giving!

purple carrots, golden carrots, and arugula!

I can’t take any credit for the garden – all that credit is due to Nik and his hard work this summer on the garden.

It was a good year for our yard and I’m looking forward to the spring when I get to fill up those expanses of brown with green!  In the meantime, I’m going to rest my hands, dream as I page through seed catalogs, and enjoy my time indoors.  April will be here before we know it!