c/backyard-living

TIL that planting marigolds next to tomatoes was a game changer for my garden

I used to just throw tomato plants in the ground and hope for the best. Last spring, my neighbor in Phoenix told me to ring them with marigolds after I complained about bugs eating everything. Six months later, I had zero hornworms and way more fruit than usual. Has anyone else had luck with companion planting like that?

Tried to transplant a 10-year-old magnolia tree last fall and learned the hard way why you don't move established trees

Pulled it from my mother-in-law's yard in Orlando and it dropped every leaf within 3 days, any of you actually had success moving big trees or is it always a waste of time?

Bought a $400 fire pit from Amazon and it rusted through in 3 months

Saw all these 5 star reviews saying it was great quality but I should've looked closer at the 1 stars. By week 6 the paint was peeling and now there's actual holes in the bottom. Rain got under the cover I bought separately too. Anyone found a fire pit that actually lasts more than a season?

My DIY fire pit project ended with a melted trash can

I was building a fire pit in my backyard in Phoenix last Saturday and didn't realize my plastic trash can was sitting 4 feet away. The heat warped the whole side of it and melted a hole through the bottom. Anyone else accidentally melt something while setting up their backyard setup?

Question about switching from chemical lawn treatments to natural methods

I used to follow the monthly weed and feed schedule from the big box store, but after my neighbor's dog got sick from the runoff last spring I switched to corn gluten and manual pulling. Six months in, my lawn has more clover than grass but it's still green - has anyone else made this swap and seen their yard bounce back after the first year?

Watched my bamboo go from 2 feet to 12 feet in one summer and now my neighbors hate me

Last March I planted a small bamboo screen for privacy and by August it had completely taken over the guy next door's yard, has anyone else had a 'fast growing' plant turn into a nightmare like this?

Used to mow every week like clockwork, now I let my yard go 3 weeks between cuts

I was that guy who mowed every Saturday morning without fail, manicured stripes, bagged the clippings, the whole deal. Then last summer during a heatwave near Austin I just got lazy and let it grow for almost a month. Guess what? The clover and wildflowers came in, the bees showed up, and I barely had to water. Now I only mow when the HOA sends a note or the weeds start seeding. It's way less work and my yard actually looks healthier. Anyone else ditch the weekly mow habit and see their lawn do better?

My tomato plants finally took off after I stopped babying them

I spent all of June fussing over my three tomato plants in the backyard. Watering them twice a day, checking for bugs, even talking to them like a weirdo. Then we went to visit my sister in Ohio for a week and I figured they'd be toast when we got back. Came home to find them twice the size with little green tomatoes starting to form. I guess they just needed me to back off and let them do their thing in the heat. Now I'm wondering if I've been overthinking my whole garden setup this whole time. Has anyone else had that moment where your plants do better when you leave them alone?

That one time a squirrel stole my whole bag of charcoal right off the deck

I was at my cousin's place in Austin last July and a fat little gray squirrel somehow dragged a 10-pound bag of Kingsford down two steps and into a bush, so now I store my grill supplies in a metal locker and check for acorn stashes before every cookout, anybody else have critters ruin your setup?

That $350 mosquito net setup either saved my summer or made things worse

I spent $350 on a full screened-in gazebo from Amazon to keep the bugs out, but now I feel like I'm trapped in a mesh box while the rest of the yard is unusable. Has anyone else found a better balance between staying bite-free and actually enjoying open air?

Found a weird tip for keeping fire ants out of my raised beds

Old timer at the local nursery in Austin told me to sprinkle coffee grounds around the edges. I tried it last weekend after a big rain and haven't seen a single mound near my tomatoes yet. Anyone else had luck with this or is it just placebo?

That chat with my neighbor about native plants changed my whole backyard plan

My neighbor Dave saw me digging up a patch of grass last Saturday. He asked what I was planting. I said some generic flowers from the big box store. He just laughed and told me I was wasting my money. Said those plants would die by August here in Texas. He pointed at his yard full of wild looking stuff. Called it native landscaping. Said he waters maybe twice a month total. I spent $85 on those flowers too. Now I'm looking at his yard and he's got bees and butterflies everywhere. Has anyone switched over to native plants and seen a big difference in their water bill?

Rolled my eyes at my neighbor's rain barrel setup 3 years ago

Now I'm on my second one and my water bill dropped by $15 a month during summer. Anyone else cave and try something you thought was hippie nonsense?

Met an older guy at the community garden who had the wildest tomato setup

He showed me these 5-gallon buckets with holes drilled in the sides and said he grows 8 plants per bucket instead of 1... told me he hasn't bought store tomatoes in 12 years. Anyone else seen weird container tricks that actually work better than the normal way?

My neighbor's comment about our compost bin hit different last weekend

Swapped my cheap plastic hose for a rubber one after it burst on me twice in one month

Used to buy those $10 garden hoses from the hardware store every spring because I didn't want to spend $60 on a rubber one, but after the second one split open while I was watering my tomato bed in July I finally shelled out for a better hose and now I don't have to deal with kinks or leaks every time I turn the spigot on has anyone else made that switch or are you still fighting with the cheap stuff?

Dropped $900 on a fancy fire pit table and now I'm second guessing it

I bought this nice gas fire pit table from a local shop in Phoenix back in March, figured it'd be great for hosting backyard hangouts. First two weekends were awesome, but then the flame started flickering weird and the ignition button broke after just 4 uses. Am I the only one who thinks these things are overpriced junk or did I just pick a bad one?

Was skeptical about those fancy outdoor string lights, now I'm a convert

I used to think people were wasting money on those expensive Edison bulb string lights for their backyard. Figured regular hardware store lights would do the same job for way less. But after three months with the cheap ones that kept flickering and two bulbs died, I finally tried a $40 set from a local garden center. They've held up through two rainstorms and look way better at night. Has anyone else been burned by going budget on backyard lighting?

Can we talk about how I spent 3 summers overwatering my tomato plants?

I was out there every evening with the hose for at least 10 minutes per plant, thinking more water meant bigger tomatoes. Then my neighbor from down the street told me my leaves were turning yellow from root rot, not dehydration. Anyone else figure out they were killing their garden with kindness?

Realized my mosquito problem was a me problem after 2 summers of fighting it

I spent like 18 months buying bug sprays, torches, citronella candles, even one of those fancy propane traps. Nothing worked. Then my neighbor casually mentioned I had a birdbath and a clogged gutter both holding water. Drained them both last August and the difference was NIGHT and DAY. Has anyone else found that the solution was way simpler than all the stuff you buy?

Found a cheap trick to keep mosquitoes out of my backyard

Tried putting a box fan on low near my patio table and it cut down bites by like 90%. Has anyone tested this with a specific fan speed or setup?

Woke up to a flooded backyard after that big storm last Tuesday in Houston

We had that crazy downpour last week and my whole yard turned into a pond. Water was sitting 4 inches deep near the fence line for almost two days. Turns out the gutter downspout was clogged with leaves and the water had nowhere to go but sideways into the grass. I spent Saturday digging a small trench to a dry well I put in near the shed. Has anyone else dealt with drainage after heavy rain or found a cheap fix that actually works?

The article about wasps that got me to stop hating them

I used to kill every wasp that got near my backyard. Then I read a study from some university entomology department saying they pollinate way more plants than people realize. Something like 1,000 species of figs depend entirely on wasps. Now I just leave them alone and they pretty much ignore me.

Just realized those cheap solar lights are actually pretty good

I was dead set against those $10 solar path lights from Home Depot, figured they'd be junk after a month. Got a set of 12 from Hampton Bay three months ago for my garden in Portland, and they still work like day one. They even held up through two heavy rainstorms without flickering. Anyone else have a budget backyard buy that surprised them?

Vent: The neighbor's inflatable Halloween display nearly took out my grill

So Tuesday night a big windstorm rolled through our street here in Akron, and I'm watching from the kitchen window as this 12-foot skeleton starts tilting toward my patio. Before I could run out there, the thing snapped its tether and flew straight into my gas grill, knocking it over on its side. Now I've got a dented lid and a neighbor who won't stop apologizing. Anyone else ever had backyard gear wrecked by someone else's decorations?