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Can you believe it is the last week until the final reveal of our front Yard Transformation Challenge? It’s been busy here for sure! I just love how it is all coming together so nicely! Between the rain, our busy schedules, and no Internet connection for over 2 days, this update is coming 3 days late, but we are so happy to still be able to share it with you!
Even those of our neighbours who were skeptical about the project looking at us working in the front yard in the first weeks of the challenge have told us that it looks amazing!
And we are not even done yet!
Front Yard Transformation Challenge – Week 5
We have to be honest. This week was the hardest in terms of the things done and built here.
If you have been following us during our process, you probably know that it was time for us to build a small rock wall along the driveway.
We actually did it!
Yes, We Built a Small Rock Wall
Saying it was not easy is like saying nothing! Because the stones were different in size and shapes, it took us a while to figure out how to lay them.
But they look so nice now!
Don’t they?
Of course, it will take a few weeks for the lawn to fill in around the plastic edge, and there will be more plants planted in the bed in a few coming weeks. But as it is getting warmer, the flowers will feel better and grow faster, and it will look nicer then.
We thought we should share how we built the stone edge. Please note it is not a tutorial as we are not landscape specialists. There might be a different way of building a rock or stone edge. But it did work for us.
How we built a rock/stone edge
- Removed the grass from the edge of the driveway to expose the soil. Our lawn (grass) was laid on the top of the landscape netting to prevent an erosion as we are on a slight slope. We had to remove a part of it as well (approximately 10 inches or 25cm wide).
- After we had done that, we deepened it for about an inch (~2.5cm) to create a shallow groove.
- Ideally, the next step would be to add some sand to the groove. But we didn’t have enough sand and we were fine with the rocks settling in a bit deeper, so we skipped that step. If you are building a higher retaining wall, it is better not to skip this step. Moreover, you may want to add small river rocks as well.
- Next, the stones went in, and it was a few long hours of the intensive labour. We supported some of the stones at the bottom and the inner side with river rocks to prevent the shifting.
- We added a plastic liner to the rocks on the inner side as a soil and water leak prevention. It might not be necessary if you are building a retaining wall using bricks or the same size and shape blocks.
Next, we lined the garden bed with cardboard and paper
If you had read our last week update, you probably noticed that we didn’t use cardboard to line the wooden raised beds. We used dry leaves instead.
However, this time we decided to go with the cardboard, as this slope was pretty contaminated with weeds. Even cardboard may not help to completely block them and they will be coming back in a couple of months. But at that point, we won’t have a choice and will be pulling them out as they come.
By the way, this is my favourite tool for weeding.
As we don’t use any chemicals or even organic herbicides, this is what I use. Also, we don’t use either vinegar or boiled water to kill the weeds, as we have tons of worms, ladybugs, and other creatures living in our garden. We don’t want to harm them in any way 🙂
We also added a black plastic edge to create a nice border around the new garden bed. To add the edge, mark where it will be going and make a deep enough groove to insert the plastic border.
The soil went in and the stones got a good shake to make sure they were standing in place firmly.
They are leaning towards the garden raised bed and look awesome.
We are not worried about smaller imperfections. We think it looks nice just like that 🙂
What do you think?
We can’t wait to share the final reveal pictures with you in just a few days!
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And a quick reminder:
Round 2 of the Yard Transformation Challenge launches next week!
If you wanted to join the challenge, please sign-up below to receive the links to the post submission page.
We are so excited about the Challenge and can’t wait to check out your garden transformation! So, remember the day:
April 23
See you then 🙂
Your yard is coming along! I think your rock wall looks great. It can be tricky! My husband and I have built two stone fireplaces and it is like creating a giant jigsaw puzzle!
Thank you, Miranda! Yes, now we know how much work is involved in building the rock wall. You ane your husband are heroes in my eyes! Building stone fireplaces sounds even more complicated and difficult.