A Look Inside My Own Backyard (Plus a Few Tomato Tips)

Moving into a new house means inheriting someone else's decisions, and nowhere is that more obvious than in the yard. I've been in my new place for a few months now, and I wanted to share an early look at what we found, what we've added, and what we're still figuring out.

Getting to Know a Garden Someone Else Planted

The people who lived here before us left behind a working garden, which gives us more to work with than if it were a completely blank slate. There are established beds already in place, strawberries and raspberries that are thriving before we arrived, and five different lavender varieties in one bed that I'm just now learning to tell apart. We've kept most of it as is for this first year, partly out of respect for what's already working and partly because I want to watch a full season play out before I decide what stays.

Not everything was a gift, though. We also inherited bamboo along one edge of the property that we're slowly pushing back, and a few overgrown shrubs that have started crowding a grafted apple tree and pushing into some lilacs near the house. That's this winter's project.

Some of what we've added is more personal than practical. We keep rescue ducks, so part of the yard is now a duck enclosure ringed with rosemary, lavender, and honeysuckle we planted ourselves. It's not something every new homeowner needs to think about, but it's part of what made this property feel like ours instead of just the last owner's.

Companion Planting and Summer Tomato Care

In some of the established beds, we planted tomato starts. As shown in my YouTube video, there was a litle tomato care that needed to happen to keep them growing strong. 

When you're planting tomato starts, set them deep enough that the bottom leaves sit below the soil line. Roots will grow out from those buried leaf nodes, which gives the plant a stronger, more spread-out root system and helps it support taller growth later on. Once the plant is established, walk through weekly and check the crook between the main stem and each leaf branch for suckers, small growths that won't flower and just pull energy away from the main plant. Pinch those off as you find them. Tomatoes also don't like water sitting on their leaves, so if a low leaf is staying damp from watering, it's worth removing too.

Companion planting is worth learning early, since pairing the right plants together cuts down on competition for nutrients. Cucumbers and dill grow well side by side. Corn and beans support each other once the corn stalks are tall enough for beans to climb. Cilantro pairs naturally with tomatoes and peppers. And if you're growing corn, a simple guideline to gauge progress is whether it's roughly knee-high by the Fourth of July.

If you'd like to see the full tour, including the layout of the beds and everything we're still working on, the video walks through all of it.

Thinking About a Property With Room to Garden?

If having space to garden, whether that's raised beds, room for fruit trees, or just a yard with potential, matters to your next move, I'd love to help you find it. Reach out to me here and let's talk about what you're picturing.