Landscaping over concrete?

[jendodd79]

We've lived in our home on a 1/3rd acre for almost 8 years now. Unfortunately the man who built the house LOVED concrete. Our driveway runs up, beside the house and then half of our backyard is a parking lot that we don't use. It's been handy for our daughter to learn to ride her bike, but really now, it's just wasted space. We are south facing, with forest on 3 sides, so there isn't a huge amount of sun.

So, I'm looking for something ingenious to do with this wasted space. We can't afford to pull up the concrete unfortunately. Any ideas?

 

[TallChickMagnet]

Put a raised bed garden on it. Just put down a square box made out of 2 by 4's and 12 inch wide planks stacked two high. Fill it with a mix of fill dirt and good stuff. Plant some low light veggies. You can make it any size that you need. Here are some samples that I found online.

 

[Going Bhonkers]

 

[Oregon Blues]

Concrete has its plus side. You don't have to deal with mud and weeds are very easy to control.

You can grow a lot in earth boxes, planters, and raised beds. You can even raise dwarf fruit trees and blueberries in planters.

 

[ChickensRDinos]

I have a very small urban yard and the chickens get to live on my only dirt. I have been planning a concrete garden for awhile now to try to best use my small and oddly shaped space. I got a 6 by 8 foot greenhouse for Christmas and a 250 gallon tank and over the next month plan on setting up an outdoor aquaponic ecosystem with vegetables and tilapia. I am going repurpose the unused the top of the tank as a large raised bed and also grow a lot of the plants vertically to save space. I have also lined my driveway with large pots for the more hearty plants. The one good thing about not using ground soil is that you have a lot more control over the environment and nutrients. You could also look into a composter or a wormery if you do not already have one. Lots of fun!

I would love to see what you end up doing with your space. Good luck!

 

[jendodd79]

I didn't even think about dwarf trees or fruit bushes! Fun

I can't wait for the weather to start to get nicer so I can start working on some projects. I feel like it's been raining for months!

 

[Clucky Me]

I have the same problem but I like the raised bed ideas. I am currently doing all my homework on getting chicks because I am hoping to get them the start of next year. I have neighbor issues that I am trying to work out and I even joined a local agriculture group on FB. Before I even got to the first meeting, I planted the idea of promoting urban chickens in our area as to accumulate allies before I even start! Haha! So far, they seem to LOVE the idea!

Also, do you have any grass and flower beds in the front of your yard that you can take them to in a movable run? I am already thinking of how I can accomplish this for my future chicks!

Good luck!