What do you look for in a new yard?

[loopyloo]

We are looking to move to a new home one day hopefully soon. It has been such a huge task trying to find the right fit. The yards of the newer homes are so tiny now we have decided we are looking for an older home.

When you are looking for a new home do you look for a yard that is already planted or a blank canvas you can do what ever you want with? I know that I want to grow a lot more of my food then the average person so either way I will be making changes. Sometimes its easier to start with dirt and make it what you want and sometimes its fun to move in and have fruit trees already in the fruiting stage.

What do you all think?

 

[Lilley1]

It is nice to have a yard that is already nicely landscaped but I would much rather create my own designs. If finances allow, it would be most beneficial to have everything the way you want. A lot of newer houses in my area were placed further back leaving little space in the back. My husband and I had our home built seven years ago and the builders wanted to push our house back but we fought against it. We told them to leave room for a future swimming pool (which we have yet to build) but there is plenty of room for a large garden and play area for the kids.

 

[LindaKay]

Plenty of space with a few well-placed, mature trees. I would like to be able to plant my own gardens and do my own landscaping, although I wouldn't be against a home if it were already landscaped if it looked good. I do love big, pretty trees though, and it's not like you can really plant your own trees. I mean, you can, but it will only take forever and a half for them to grow.

 

[chitownguypaulo]

In a new yard - is it possible to use manure to enrich the soil? I have a friend that runs a chicken farm and always has manure every couple of weeks. Is chicken manure as effective as cow manure? Is it worth putting it on a new yard or should I just go the conventional way?

 

[Pat]

I want my new yard to have room for the additional plants I want to plant along with an area that is low maintenance with succulents and rocks. I like to grow some vegetables but mostly flowers. I lived in California where we had fruit trees and flowers, I now live on the East Coast and miss the fruit trees. Our summer is not long enough. I also need to have room for a pond for the fish and water plants.

 

[GardenElixir]

I think a wide open space is a good thing to look for, I like to plant a variety of different things and it's a good idea to have each one of these sectioned off so space is very valuable. I would also like to have a pond or perhaps a fountain in my yard or garden and so lots of space would be beneficial for this also.