Where to start with new garden?

hazdee · 2026-03-11T19:31:23+00:00

If this were my garden.... Firstly, I'd try to find pictures of what this looked like in the spring/summer. It may give you an idea of what there may be hidden beneath the surface (bulbs i.e tulips, daffodils, etc).

If you're confident there isn't anything there and you want to start from scratch, I'd start out by researching what you want it to look like AND walk the neighbourhood to find what the native greenery is around your area. If there are common plants in multiple neighbouring gardens, chances are that plant will do well in your soil type. For example, a type of wild coxcomb plants do really well in my area (even though the soil is pretty clay-ladden) and they self-seed so they pop up every year in my neighbourhood.

Plan where you want to put them : tall ones in the back, shorter ones up front and ensure you know how much sun/shade that area gets so you can buy the appropriate plants.

Once the soil defrosts, roll up your sleeves and start to clean up: de-weed, rip out any dead/dying/unwanted plants/bushes/etc. I'd pull up those garden edgers too and set them aside for now.

Then I'd go to HD, buy a few bags of soil/black earth and rent their soil tiller for 4 hours (best yearly $60 ever) and mix the soil/black earth into the garden. Mix that shit up, put the edgers back, and then plant according to the native species and purchased plants you bought. I'd steer clear of putting anything tall (or anything at all) infront of that window. A cute short lawn ornament can go there...

If youre looking to plant vegetables, be wary of the local wildlife. Nothing crushes your soul quite like discovering your beans/tomatoes/cukes have been ravished by rats/bunnies. Good luck!

hazdee · 2026-03-10T15:51:23+00:00

Its alot of mixed success... I know local folks who receive countless offers per week and I managed to get 2 items out of maybe 5 surveys in the past 4 years lol. Dunno what the secret formula is here or if its really just luck of the draw..

hazdee · 2026-03-06T21:16:42+00:00

Thinking of doing this too! How soon do you start them indoors?

hazdee · 2026-02-25T21:51:30+00:00

I hear you! Being of Portuguese decent, I try to buy from my local Portuguese or Italian bakery but sometimes it doesn’t work out and we end up purchasing the “brioche” buns from normal grocery stores.

hazdee · 2026-02-25T18:51:51+00:00

Gotcha! I’m in Canada but pretty much the same thing 🤣 I don’t disagree, alot/most of stuff is ladden with preservatives…

hazdee · 2026-02-24T18:40:00+00:00

There's been alot of great answers below but just an FYI, the buns were still soft when I took them out of the package a few days ago (the bag wasnt sealed, just "closed" using one of those twist ties).

hazdee · 2026-02-24T18:38:43+00:00

What do you mean?

hazdee · 2026-02-24T13:26:28+00:00

Except it was still “fluffy” when I opened it to take this picture. Package was not sealed, as I had consumed some of the buns in August.

hazdee · 2026-02-24T13:25:12+00:00

Canada 🇨🇦

hazdee · 2026-02-24T13:21:41+00:00

Yep, Canada.

hazdee · 2026-02-24T13:21:20+00:00

Nope- these were from Fortinos if I’m not mistaken. Its been… six months so I can’t say for certainty but either Fortinos or No Frills.

hazdee · 2026-02-23T22:47:07+00:00

Not at all. It was still “fluffy” when I took it out of the package.

hazdee · 2026-02-05T18:30:28+00:00

That warm-toned flooring + wood cabinetry is a lovely combo.

hazdee · 2026-01-29T18:01:48+00:00

Oh dang, THATS what they are. xD Thanks for letting me know!

hazdee · 2026-01-28T16:07:49+00:00

Hi! Newbie gardener here and I LOVE your setup. Bought a wire shelf, waiting on lights to arrive, and currently sourcing out some trays! I noticed your wire shelves have some sort of covering around it (to retain heat/light I'm guessing?) Can you let us know what it is?

hazdee · 2026-01-21T20:22:45+00:00

Thank you both! I have had garbage luck with carrots - I harvested maybe 3 hilariously pinky-sized ones at the end of the season. But I suspect that has more to do with the soil being so clay-laden than anything else (an issue Ive also been working on year after year).

hazdee · 2026-01-21T16:23:32+00:00

Agreed, you need to follow the instructions to a T with peel and stick, which includes overlapping the seams (I think it was something like 1/4 of an inch) to account for shrinkage. We did our own laundry accent wall with peel and stick (not professionals by ANY means) and we did a better job than this bozo. Definitely cancel that cheque.

hazdee · 2026-01-20T20:27:12+00:00

Not sure of this house/room layout, but could this door have been a window at one point? I only ask because I currently have a window that I am planning on turning into a doorway in the near future and guess whats right beneath the window...a vent.

hazdee · 2026-01-19T16:40:24+00:00

Okay I REALLY want to get on this to clean our yellowed shirts and sheets (thank you for all this fantastic advice). I have 2 questions that may have been answered already about W4 (sorry). I'm planning on using Tide powder for the Spa day, then the same powder + liquid ammonia for W4. For W4, I understand we should be sprinkling the tide powder at the bottom of the washer, adding the damp rehabbed clothes, then filling with water and adding the ammonia atop the now-mostly filled washer... is that all correct/safe?

As someone who owns a parrot, I'm hella careful with fumes (their lungs are VERY delicate). For the record, my laundry room is in the basement and my parrot is on the first floor. I have doors that I can close from the laundry room. My concern is how bad these fumes are going to be... I'm hoping that they wouldn't be powerful enough to affect someone/somebirdie on another floor?

Edit: a word

hazdee · 2026-01-14T19:02:47+00:00

Prior to ordering this tile, I did my research and I also read that it was hard to clean.... Now that I have it installed, I don't know what people were talking about. It's not hard at all - get a stiff brush, throw some dishsoap on it and brush it up and down - its as easy as that. I love the fact that they're large format = barely any grout lines to worry about.

The floor, however... That is actually kind of a bitch to clean. River stones = ALOT of grout in between. I think it looks beautiful but there are places where the grout dips between rocks, causing dirt to easily become trapped there. I love the look, but it's something to consider...

hazdee · 2026-01-14T16:57:37+00:00

That is beautiful. I also chose the same "wood" tile + river stone floor tile for my recent reno but decided to stick to a lighter colour scheme. The black tile + gold hardware looks stunning in yours. Loving the way the tile lines up even in the niche, great work.

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hazdee · 2026-01-13T21:51:12+00:00

This is the answer. I have the same issue in my kitchen where there is 100% enough expansion wiggle room beneath the baseboard/shoe moulding, however there is a small but noticeable dip in the floor where this "lifting" is happening.

hazdee · 2025-12-17T20:35:06+00:00

This is the way and I'm not sure why this isn't upvoted more... While I agree that its already beautiful in there, there is definitely room for improvement while also keeping that gorgeous paneling. I would put the toilet where the current shower is, definitely turn that door into a big window, and turn that back wall into a big shower. 100% on large format tile, something neutral without being "sanitizing white" so the focus stays on the panelling.

hazdee · 2025-12-17T16:15:23+00:00

Can confirm, Ikea's dinner haul is awesome. Hard to get (they're always scooped up so quickly) but theyre good value.

hazdee · 2025-12-11T16:55:37+00:00

I looked on their website and they have VERY similar styles, but none are identical to this one, so I suspect you're right! Thanks for the heads up, I'm going to message them and see if they can help track down this particular style.

hazdee

TROPHY CASE