From Floodplain to Backyard Oasis

In the months right after the excavation, I put in a rock garden and a vegetable bed in the back and a shade bed in the side yard. With the trees removed, there was now ample sun in the back to accommodate my veggie patches. Of course, I did make a few gardening mistakes and learned a lot along the way—I had so many cucumbers last year that even after giving away as many as I could, I pickled three dozen jars. One thing I did right was put in a sprinkler system when I had the yard regraded.