It Is Not Too Late to Plan...

Up until now, I had been proceeding with an informal plan "in my head".   I decided that I  would like to make a basic, Beginning Yard Map of my backyard so that I could plan with a little bit of forethought.    I measured the perimeter and graphed it out.  This is what my back yard looks like without the garden beds that I created. 

It isn't totally accurate, but it is close.  Each square = 3 square ft.  

Beginning Yard Map

I also wondered about what sort of utilities might be buried under the surface of my yard.  I did not want to accidentally damage some utilities while digging.  I should have done this before I ever began to dig, but as soon as I thought of it I decided I better get it done before I got too involved in my plan!  

So I called the Dig-Line.  It is a free service.  They came out within a day or two and located buried electricity, natural gas, telephone and cable tv lines, marking them with colored spray paint.  It turns out that the only buried lines that are in the backyard are telephone and cable tv.  

I was relieved to learn that I hadn't dug close to those lines!

I  transcribed the utility line locations onto my diagram.  They are the purple and orange dashed lines.  Then I drew in the garden beds that I had created in 2014 (indicated with a blue arrow).  

Phase One - Year One Garden

I am calling this my Phase One -Year One Garden because I am just planning and putting in the beds, or planting areas.  I have lots of ideas to expand in the coming years!