I think the best approach for the backyard project would be to start with clearing out the old debris first. We spent almost three hours last Saturday just hauling away branches and leaves but it made a huge difference once we could actually see the space. You should consider renting a chipper if you have more than a few trees because bagging everything takes forever. The soil underneath was compacted so we ended up tilling it and adding some compost from the landscape supply place on Main Street. They delivered ten bags and it was enough to cover about a twelve by fifteen foot area. We planted some native shrubs along the fence line and put down mulch to keep the weeds down for the season. The whole thing took us about four weekends working on and off but the results are really starting to show now. Let me know if you want me to send you the list of plants we used because the nursery had a sale on perennials last week and they might still have stock available.

We also added a small stone pathway from the patio to the garden bed and that made the whole space feel more finished. I found some flagstone pieces at a local stone yard for a good price and we set them in sand. It took a bit of leveling but nothing too complicated. The pathway really ties everything together and makes it easy to walk through without stepping on the plants.

One thing I would recommend is to plan for drainage early. We had a low spot that held water after the spring rains so we dug a shallow trench and filled it with gravel. That solved the problem completely.

The pasta sauce turned out better than I expected considering I was improvising most of the way through. I started with a base of diced onions and garlic sautéed in olive oil until they were translucent and fragrant. Then I added a can of crushed tomatoes and let it simmer while I prepped the meatballs. For the meatballs I used a mix of ground beef and pork with breadcrumbs soaked in milk and some grated Parmesan cheese. The trick is to not overwork the meat when you mix everything together because that makes them tough. I baked them in the oven at 400 degrees for about twenty minutes before adding them to the sauce to finish cooking. The pasta was a simple spaghetti but I made sure to reserve a cup of the starchy water before draining to help the sauce cling to the noodles.

I served it with a simple side salad and some garlic bread that I threw together from a leftover loaf. Everyone went back for seconds so I will definitely be making that again soon. Next time I might try adding a pinch of red pepper flakes to the sauce for a little warmth but not enough to make it spicy. I also think I will double the recipe so there are leftovers for lunch the next day.

Let me know if you want me to write down the full measurements because I ended up estimating most of them as I went along.