We moved to this location in 2009. The backyard had an above ground pool, which we did not want. The seller said he had a buyer for it, so when we moved in, it was gone.

This left a large area of muddy, gravely ground. I tilled the area for several days, using an old, borrowed John Deere tiller (made in the ’60’s). There was a lot of gravel to rake up.

A block retaining wall needed repair, and after much preparation, the area was ready for plants and a bench.

The results are below, with photos showing the changes over the years as the trees we planted grew and shaded this part of the yard.