Yard Coach | DIY Landscaping Mastery & Professional Advice

VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/mslUPM_z87U 

Our pond was nearly 90% gone after an unusually dry stretch, creating a rare opportunity to bring in an excavator and tackle some much-needed pond work.

In this episode, Coach Matt shares what the pond looked like during the drought, why we decided this was the right time to excavate, and what we hoped to accomplish before the water returned. It’s a real-world look at responding to changing conditions and making the most of an unexpected opportunity at Brook & Pond.

This is the audio-only version of the Yard Coach video. To see the pond and excavation footage, look for “Drought Nearly Emptied Our Pond—So We Brought In an Excavator” on the Yard Coach YouTube channel.

Visit Yard Coach: https://www.youryardcoach.com

That dream property with acres of space can quickly become a nightmare if you’re not realistic about the time, money, and effort it takes to maintain it. 

VIDEO VERSION HERE https://youtu.be/UakoG7E_ExM 

In this episode, Coach shares real stories from nearly 40 years in the landscaping industry—including a beautiful five-acre property that fell apart just two years after a complete landscape transformation. He also discusses first-time homebuyers, downsizers, busy families, and retirees who often underestimate what “all that potential” really costs.

You’ll learn:

Whether you’re shopping for your first home, downsizing, or wondering where your weekends disappeared, this episode may change the way you look at your property forever.

Need help creating a landscape you can actually enjoy?

🌿 Visit https://www.youryardcoach.com to learn more about our consultation services, DIY resources, and homeowner education.

Episode: Landscape Designing for Continuous Color All Season Long

VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/IsceTOOf5eI

Yard Coach COLOR CONTINUUM GUIDE: https://www.youryardcoach.com/continuous-color-guide 

Does your yard look amazing for a few weeks… and then fade into a whole lot of green?

In this episode, Coach explains how to think like a landscape designer and build a true color continuum — a landscape where one plant hands the spotlight to the next from spring through fall.

You’ll learn why buying only what’s blooming at the garden center is one of the biggest DIY mistakes, how annuals should be used as fillers instead of the whole show, and why flowers are only one part of long-term landscape color.

Coach covers:

If your yard feels flat after spring, this episode will help you start planning for color that lasts.

Visit: https://www.youryardcoach.com

To your landscape success.

Online Plant Purchases – Is This the New Wave on How to Landscape? 

VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/4FLyvTlSeCQhttps://youtu.be/4FLyvTlSeCQ

For more than 45 years, Coach Matt has relied on a simple rule when buying plants: see them, touch them, inspect them, and bring them home yourself.

This year, that changed.

In this episode, Coach shares his first-ever experience ordering fruit trees, strawberries, raspberries, and blackberries online and having them shipped directly to his property in northern Maine.

Did the plants arrive healthy? How did they handle the stress of shipping? Were online prices worth it? And can internet plant purchases really replace the traditional nursery experience?

You'll hear:

• The pros and cons of ordering plants online  

If you've ever wondered whether ordering plants online is worth the risk, this episode offers a real-world, first-season perspective from someone who spent decades in the nursery industry.

Have you purchased plants online? We'd love to hear about your experience.

Visit https://www.youryardcoach.com for DIY landscaping resources, consultations, digital products, and more.

To your landscape success,

In this episode of the Yard Coach Podcast, Coach Matt dives into one of the biggest mistakes homeowners make in DIY landscaping: choosing form over function.

VIDEO VERSION on YouTube: https://youtu.be/7sRVcOcivpM 

Why do so many beautiful landscapes fail after only a few years? Why do flooded yards, cracked patios, dead plants, drainage issues, and maintenance nightmares happen so often — even in landscapes that looked amazing at first?

Coach Matt breaks down the real-world difference between landscaping that simply photographs well… and landscaping that actually works long term.

Topics include:

This episode is packed with practical homeowner advice, decades of contractor experience, and common-sense DIY landscaping wisdom to help you avoid expensive mistakes and build a landscape that’s both beautiful and durable.

🌐 Explore Yard Coach Products & Services:

📘 Landscaping Simplified eBook:

🎓 Homescape 2.0 DIY Landscaping Course:

📋 15-Step DIY Landscaping Checklist:

📧 Contact Coach Matt:

#landscaping #DIYlandscaping #yardcoach

If your irrigation system won’t turn on, won’t shut off, sprays weak, floods spots, or just plain underperforms, this episode is for you. VIDEO VERSION HERE: https://youtu.be/Y8IU-D9RmJM

In this Yard Coach Podcast episode, Coach Matt breaks down the big 5 irrigation problems he’s seen after working on hundreds of manual and automatic sprinkler systems over the years. From electrical issues at the timer controller to worn solenoids, clogged nozzles, broken heads, hidden pipe leaks, freeze damage, poor pressure, and underperforming zones—this is a practical, no-fluff look at what goes wrong and what to do next.

Inside this episode:

Why zones won’t turn on

What causes weak sprinkler pressure and poor coverage

Why a valve may not shut off

How broken heads, cracks, and leaks affect performance

What freeze damage and spring startup problems can do to your system

When it makes sense to repair a part—and when it’s smarter to replace it

Coach Matt also shares real-world troubleshooting advice from years in the field, including what to inspect first, what commonly fails, and how to avoid wasting money chasing the wrong fix.

If your yard is getting too much water, not enough water, or the wrong kind of coverage, this episode will help you think through the system before it costs you more time, water, and frustration.

Need more help with your landscape?

Visit Yard Coach YouTube channel.

As always—to your landscape success.

Your landscape lights stopped working… now what?

Before you start digging up your yard or calling a contractor, there’s a simple troubleshooting path that solves most lighting problems fast—and it’s probably not what you think.

In this episode, Coach Matt walks you through the real-world process used to diagnose low voltage landscape lighting issues, including:

Why the most common failure isn’t your wiring

The simple checks that can save you hours of frustration

When it’s a quick fix—and when it’s time to call someone

How one inexpensive tool can help you diagnose it yourself

Here’s the truth: most homeowners jump straight to worst-case scenarios… when the fix is often something small, simple, and completely avoidable.

And if you’re still running incandescent bulbs, you may be setting yourself up for repeat failures—because they burn out far faster than modern alternatives. 

🌱 15-Step DIY Landscaping Checklist

https://www.youryardcoach.com/15-step-diy-landscaping-project-checklist

📘 Landscaping Simplified eBook

https://www.youryardcoach.com/landscapingsimplifiedebook

🎓 Homescape 2.0 Course

https://www.youryardcoach.com/diy-landscape-course

Don’t guess. Don’t dig blindly.

Diagnose it the right way—and fix it once.

You planned it. You prepped it.

Now it’s time to build it—and this is where most DIY projects go wrong.

In Part 2, we walk through the critical build phase of the 15-step landscaping process—where trenching, underground installs, grading, and timing either lock in a successful project… or create problems you’ll be fixing later.

This episode covers:

How to properly mark and trench for underground systems

Installing drainage, irrigation, gas, and electrical the right way

Why poor compaction leads to sinking, shifting, and rework

The exact order of operations that keeps your project on track

What needs to be done before you move to finishing work

This is the difference between a project that lasts—and one that becomes a headache.

https://www.youryardcoach.com/15-step-diy-landscaping-project-checklist

💥 Use code NEW15STEP to save $5 (limited time)

The correct sequence for underground installations 

Why compaction and grading make or break your project 

How to avoid the most expensive DIY mistakes

YouTube: https://cutt.ly/UjR6cKF

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/yardcoach/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/YardCoach

If you do this phase right, everything that follows gets easier.

Most DIY landscaping projects don’t fail because of effort…

They fail before the first shovel hits the ground.

In Part 1 of this series, we break down the foundation of every successful landscape project—and where most homeowners quietly sabotage themselves.

This episode walks through the first critical stages of the proven 15-step process, including:

Knowing your real limits (before the project humbles you)

Why “winging it” is the fastest way to waste time and money

The planning mistake almost everyone makes

What to do before demolition even begins

Why calling 811 isn’t optional—it’s survival

This isn’t theory—it’s the exact step-by-step framework used to take projects from idea → execution → done right the first time.

If you’ve ever:

Started a project and stalled out

Had to redo work (and hated every second of it)

Or felt overwhelmed before even beginning

…this is where you fix that.

👉 This is Part 1. Don’t skip ahead—this is the groundwork everything else depends on.

https://www.youryardcoach.com/15-step-diy-landscaping-project-checklist

💥 Use code NEW15STEP to save $5 (limited time)

The mindset shift that separates finishers from quitters 

How proper planning eliminates 80% of common mistakes 

The exact order of operations before installation even begins

YouTube: https://cutt.ly/UjR6cKF

Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/groups/yardcoach/

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/YardCoach

If you’re serious about doing your landscape project once—and doing it right—start here.

Late winter can be one of the most frustrating times of the year for homeowners who love landscaping.

The snow is still piled high, the ground is frozen solid, and yet spring is just close enough to tease you.

In this episode, Coach Matt talks about the late-winter landscaping doldrums many homeowners experience—especially in colder USDA zones like 3, 4, and 5. When you’re itching to get outside and start building, planting, and improving your property… but Mother Nature still has other plans.

Instead of wasting these weeks feeling stuck, Coach shares how to use this time strategically:

• planning upcoming landscape projects

• ordering plants and materials before the seasonal rush

• winter seed starting techniques

• preparing for the short northern growing season

• staying motivated during the long winter months

If you live in a colder climate, this episode will help you turn late winter frustration into productive planning so you’re ready the moment spring finally arrives.

And if you’re tackling your own landscape projects this year, Coach’s 15-Step DIY Landscaping Checklist can guide you through every stage of a project—from the first idea all the way to the final planting.

🌿 Get the checklist here: https://www.youryardcoach.com/15-step-diy-landscaping-project-checklist

Have a landscaping question?

You can always reach Coach directly through the website.

To your landscape success.