New back yard

I have a new back yard to work in. I moved into an apartment downtown and it came with not only a large (for an apartment) cement patio

 but also a side yard 10x50

that was once beautiful thick grass I'm sure but when I moved in it was part grass, part bare spots, part weeds because there is a pomegranate bush, a pecan tree and some other species of tree that the ants and aphids love, just on the other side of the block wall, that covered most of the side yard and wouldn't let the sun in. I've cut it back quite a bit. It used to touch the roof.

My grandson Dallen was in Boys Scouts last year and they wanted to plant a garden so Sarah had them work on mine. They dug out what they could of the grass at one end and we leveled it and covered it with black plastic, we put down some grow boxes (this picture is of the box, I had 3 of them in a row along the wall)

that I had and filled them with top soil and planted peas and beans. None of the beans sprouted and only a few peas came up and none of them grew pods. The neighboorhood cats used them as potty boxes.
     I tore those plants out when it got warmer and planted tomatoes. The tomato plants grew but only produced a couple of tomatoes. Even though I fertilized them.( I found out I was using the wrong ferilizer after most of the plants died and I happen to ask a guy about it at the nursery one day and he said I killed them) I had a lot of flowing plants in pots on the patio plus 5 bigger pots of bamboo that I kidnapped and brought down from the Winchester house.

Nothing was hooked up to water on the patio so it was all hand watered all spring, summer and fall. I really didn't mind that because I have seen mom water her plants like that for years so I just did what she does. She has the green thumb you know. If you haven't already you should see her back yard, it's beautiful.
     Last fall my relief society president gave me some of her Iris that she was thinning out. I planted them in the corner of the yard and prayed they would survive the winter.

YaY! They survived! Beautiful purple blooms. ( Sorry I didn't get a picture of the blooms) Mom had iris at the Woods Cross house and I have always loved them since then.
    I also planted a pineapple top and babied it all last summer, it took about 4-5 months but I finally got 2 shoots to grow up out of it. I researched it and found that it takes 2 years for the plant to get any fruit on it. I left it outside as long as I dared but I may have been too late in bringing it in. The leaves got some frost damage. I took it to my office for the winter, it started to get sick there so I brought it back a couple of weeks ago and separated the 2 shoots and planted them in separate pots. Right now they are not doing so well, the outer leaves have died but there are new ones coming up in the middle. Keep your fingers crossed that they live.

     I planted 1 strawberry plant in the front last year with some flowers and then in the fall I planted some cabbage. They all did well through the winter and the cabbage started growing good. I bought some pea plants and planted them since I was late in getting the seeds planted. (notice the cats use this area as a potty box too) I'm eating some peas already too.

Then it got real warm in late Feb early March and the cabbage bolted so I pullled it all out. I also bought some more strawberries since the other one did so good. They have already given me quite a few strawberries.

I've been busy planting tomatoes and peppers and running water to them this week.

11 pots all toghether. 6 different varieties of tomatoes and red, yellow, green, habenaro and jalepeno peppers.    I also have an ivy I kidnapped from the house and a new bush I planted a couple of weeks ago.

It's about ready to bloom.
    I had also planted some vines earlier this spring that should grow and cover up the long block wall. I think they are star jasmin.

                         I filled in the front porch with a petunia, dark purple and chartruse(sp)

bacopa,

 and some dying mums I picked up at the nursery last fall that they were going to throw away. I babied them all winter and they are doing great now!And an Ivy geranium. Mom can get geraniums to grow wonderfully, I keep trying every year but so far very unsuccessful at.

I will keep you posted on how it all does.