c/diy-backyard

Thought sunflowers needed full sun all day - boy was I wrong

Kept planting them along my south fence in Denver. They'd get scorched by 2pm every July. Read this extension bulletin from CSU about afternoon shade actually helping with wind damage and heat stress. Moved them to the east side of my shed last spring and they hit 8 feet tall. Anyone else have plants that do better with less direct sun than you'd expect?

My grandma's flower bed used to be a dirt patch for 10 years until she planted zinnias last spring

She just watered them once a week with leftover dishwater, and now the whole neighborhood stops to take pictures, has anyone else had an old-school gardening trick beat their pricey setup?

Built a rain garden in my side yard and the soggy spot dried up in 2 months

I had this nasty low spot near my downspout that stayed wet for days after rain. Mosquitoes loved it but I sure didn't. After watching a few videos I dug out a shallow basin about 4 feet by 6 feet and filled it with a mix of compost, sand, and native soil. Planted some swamp milkweed and blue flag iris from the local nursery. The first big storm dumped 2 inches of rain and the water was gone in under 12 hours instead of sitting there for 3 days. Two months later the plants are thriving and the area is completely dry between rains. Has anyone else tried a rain garden for a drainage issue like this?

Spent 2 years leveling my patio with sand until a neighbor walked over and pointed at my drainage

I was out there re-sanding between pavers for the third time this spring when the old guy next door finally came over and asked why my base was washed out. He pointed to a low spot against the house where water was pooling and told me I needed a 1/4 inch per foot slope away from the foundation. Now I'm starting over with crushed stone base and a string line. Anybody else learn the hard way that pretty levels don't mean dry patios?

That neighbor who told me my paver sand was wrong actually saved me $200

I spent a whole weekend last summer laying down a 10x12 patio in my backyard using regular play sand between the pavers. Everything looked great until my neighbor Bob walked over and said 'you know that sand is gonna wash out in the first rain, right?' I kinda shrugged it off at first cause I thought he was just being picky. But then it poured that Wednesday and sure enough half my joints were empty and pavers started shifting. I had to pull up about 30 of them and redo the whole thing with polymeric sand. Cost me another $60 and a whole Saturday but that stuff hardened up like concrete and has been solid for 8 months now. Has anyone else had someone point out a mistake mid-project that saved them from bigger trouble later?

My cabbage patch completely disappeared overnight thanks to a groundhog I named Greta

Wasted $180 on a 'premium' pond liner that ripped in year two

Three summers ago I bought a 20x25 foot EPDM liner from a company called PondPro, thought I was getting the good stuff. By the second freeze-thaw cycle in Michigan it had a crack along the seam, water drained overnight. Should've just gone with the heavy-duty PVC from the hardware store for half the price. Anyone else have a liner fail way too early?

Burned through 3 cheap sprayers before trying a $40 one from Home Depot

I figured all pump sprayers were basically the same for weed killer, so I kept buying the $10 ones at the hardware store. The third one clogged after two uses and I finally got mad enough to spring for a brass nozzle model. Has anyone else found that one specific brand actually holds up better than the rest?

TIL a simple 5-gallon bucket can solve my drainage problem for $12

So I was at the hardware store last Saturday in Austin picking up more gravel for the 4th time this month, and I overheard this old guy telling the cashier he fixed his soggy backyard with a 5-gallon bucket full of holes buried in the ground. I thought he was nuts, but he swore it worked for his clay soil after 3 years of standing water. I went home, drilled 20 holes in a bucket I already had, buried it near my lowest spot, and filled it with rocks. After a heavy rain last night, I checked and the water actually drained away in under 2 hours instead of sitting for days. Has anyone else tried this cheap fix or am I gonna mess up something long term?

Overheard a contractor at Home Depot warning a guy about cheap paver base

I was grabbing some mulch yesterday and heard this contractor tell a customer that using that 3/4 inch crushed stone from the big box store is a disaster for patios. He said he's seen at least 5 jobs where it settled unevenly within 6 months because it's got too much dust mixed in. Said you gotta get clean #57 stone from a quarry or it'll shift like crazy under pavers. Now I'm second-guessing the base I just put down for my fire pit area. Has anyone else had their patio sink after using the wrong gravel?

Bought a $40 sod cutter off Craigslist and it saved my back big time

Was gonna rent one from Home Depot for $80 for the day to rip up my 500 sq ft patch of dead grass in Phoenix, but found a used one on Craigslist for $40 instead. Thing worked like a charm, cut through the roots easy, and now I can resell it for what I paid. Has anyone else scored a killer deal on a tool that just made the job way easier?

My ugly patch of dirt turned into a real lawn after 6 weeks of proper watering

I stopped just sprinkling the hose for 5 minutes and started doing deep soaks twice a week before sunrise, and the difference in root depth is insane how did I not figure this out sooner anyone else struggle with getting grass to actually take?

That cheap plastic drip tray melted after 3 uses in the sun

I bought a $12 drip tray from the big box store for under my rain barrel spigot. It looked fine for a week, but after a hot 95 degree day it warped into a sad taco shape and spilled water all over my foundation. I spent two hours digging gravel out of the mud and re-leveling the whole setup with cinder blocks. Why does nobody mention UV damage on those things in the reviews?

Still split on raised beds vs row planting after 3 seasons in my Seattle yard

I started my backyard garden with traditional raised beds made from cedar planks, about 4x8 feet each. They looked clean and the soil stayed warm, but after two summers I realized the plants were fighting for water and the wood started rotting at the corners. Last spring I ripped half of them out and switched to direct row planting, just tilling strips into the ground and adding compost. The rows gave me way more space for things like carrots and beans, but my tomatoes got blight from sitting on damp soil. Now I am rebuilding three smaller raised beds for peppers and squash while keeping rows for root veggies. Which method gave you better results for drainage and pests, or do you mix both like I am trying to do?

Picked pebbles over turf in my Phoenix backyard and I'm sticking with it

Everyone told me artificial grass was the way to go for low maintenance, but after seeing my buddy's turf hit 150 degrees in July I went with crushed granite and decomposed granite instead. Cost me about $600 for a 10x12 area and it actually drains better than I expected. Anyone else go with hardscape over fake grass in a hot climate?

Visited a community garden in Austin and saw a weird debate break out

I went to this community garden off South Congress last weekend to check out their raised beds. One guy was pushing for all native plants only, saying anything else is just wasting water and attracting pests. But then this older lady pointed out her tomato vines and said without non-natives we'd have no food. I mean, both sides made good points. Do you guys lean more towards native-only or mixing in some veggies and flowers from other places?

Wasted $200 on fancy raised bed kits before realizing I could build them for $40 in lumber

Ngl I bought those premade metal raised beds from a garden store and they warped after one season. Anyone else found a cheap lumber source that doesn't rot in two years?

My cheap PVC pipe drip system actually kept my tomatoes alive during that 100 degree week

I put together a little drip irrigation setup last month using nothing but PVC pipe from Home Depot and some drip tape I found on sale for $8. It cost me around $25 total for my 4 raised beds in the backyard here in Austin. I just drilled tiny holes every 6 inches along the pipe and connected it to a timer I already had. That week when it hit 105 degrees I was out of town for 3 days and came back to perfectly happy plants while my neighbor's garden was totally fried. The best part is I didn't have to run the sprinkler at all and my water bill only went up like $5. Has anyone else tried making their own drip system with basic parts from the hardware store?

My neighbor laughed at my wooden retaining wall before it rained for 3 days straight

He pointed out I stacked the blocks without gravel behind them so the water had nowhere to drain, and sure enough the whole thing buckled after a storm last June - has anyone else had a DIY project fail because of a tiny drainage mistake?

Put in a flagstone path last spring and learned a hard lesson about base prep

I was out in Phoenix helping my buddy lay a path from his driveway to his backyard gate, and we thought we could just toss the stones on top of some sand. Two months later everything shifted and settled so bad it looked like a miniature earthquake hit. Has anyone else skipped the gravel base and regretted it later?

Thought those solar path lights from Amazon were a gimmick, but after 3 months of nightly use they actually hold a charge

I put $40 worth of them along my walkway last June fully expecting to toss them by August, but they've survived rain and still glow until midnight. Has anyone else had a cheap solar product actually work out?

Pro tip: stop using cedar chips for mulch if you have dogs

I put down cedar mulch last spring cause it smells nice but my dog started scratching nonstop. Vet said some dogs are allergic to the oils in cedar. Switched to pine bark nuggets last month and zero issues, cost me $15 less too. Anyone else deal with this weird allergy thing?

Stop using pressure treated lumber for raised garden beds

I keep seeing people build veggie beds with that green treated stuff from Home Depot and it leaches chemicals right into your soil. Anyone else swap theirs out for cedar or untreated pine and notice a difference in their plants?

That time my rain barrel cracked in July heat

I was out back in Phoenix trying to water the tomatoes when I noticed a puddle under the barrel. The bottom seam split right open during that 115 degree week. Drained about 40 gallons of water into the dirt before I caught it. Patched it with flex seal and a piece of old inner tube, held up for the rest of summer. Anybody else have plastic stuff fail on them in extreme temps?

Three years ago I planted a single mint plant and now my entire backyard is a mint jungle and the neighbor's dog keeps eating it and burping minty air at me through the fence.

Last weekend I finally dug up like 40 square feet of the stuff and threw it in a burn pile but the next morning I saw new shoots poking up through the ash, has anyone else had a mint invasion completely take over their yard?