The Gardeners/Groundskeepers

We are a couple of Millennial siblings who managed to buy a house together during COVID with the goal of saving money and having an outdoor space of our own. We both grew up working on gardens and landscaping and learning from family and friends who did the same. Together, we have a combined 70 years of experience growing produce, planting trees, and solving problems.

The Yard

The current Moore Dirt Simple yard and garden are in Berks County, Pennsylvania. This is considered part of Pennsylvania Dutch Country, and the soil is good for farming. As of 2023, our part of Berks has shifted into Zone 7a. We have a humid continental climate with hot summers.

The property itself has some peculiarities. The last owners regraded the yard with junk fill; we’re constantly finding trash and rocks under the turf. Our neighborhood is built over an old farm, and the remains of some stone walls crisscross under the backyard. The perimeter of the backyard is a solid six-foot fence, above-ground only. We added a cat fence over that last year and are working on sinking metal fencing underneath to keep out the local groundhogs, skunks, voles, etc.

Behind the property is a grassy alley with various overhead wires that connect to the node right next to our gate. There is also a node right in front of our property, across the street. The low-hanging wires limit the trees and bushes we can have and where we can plant them, so we have spent the past two years dealing with winds tearing diagonally across the yard, with gusts occasionally clocking in at 50 mph.

It’s a real work-in-progress.