Drippers in, seeds planted, soil, borders & paths.

I didn't want to "bust sod" any more than was required. Bermuda grass rhizomes and weed seeds lurk down there. My thought was to grow annuals this year above the old sod level, then let the worms till the soil over time.

I dug down for the shrubs and trees, but otherwise my beds are 6-12" of mostly compost. In the areas that I'm planting I mixed about 1/2 compost, 1/4 perlite, and 1/4 soil from where I dug out for trees and shrubs. I used newspaper and/or rosin paper on top of the old Roundup-treated sod to hopefully block weeds for this season. My thinking was that the paper would keep the weeds from growing through this season then break down.

Finally- borders for the beds. At the sidewalk I dug out sod and soil to about 4" depth to feather the raised beds flush with the concrete. Elsewhere there will be some sort of border between 4" and 6" high. My wife and I are still trying to decide on an appropriate edging. The paths will probably stay as dead sod with a thin compost layer for a while. Ultimately they will get some type of surface- Decomposed granite, stepping stones & groundcover plants, or something. Little green flags mark irrigation devices and future path edges, so the photos are a bit confusing.


Right side with raised bed, benches, fountain:














Left side: