Dirt moving

The dump truck arrived at 8:00am. I chose to have them drop at the top of the drive instead of at the bottom. I moved my car to the street so it would not be stuck in the drive way once the dirt blocked the drive. I lay down a plastic tarp to make clean up easy. A little trick I learned along the way. The tarp helps keep the pile together while working.





I decided since the dirt was right next to the bed where I want to put it I really didn't need the wagon right away. I could use a cleaning bucket to scoop and dump. Gravity was in my favor. Besides I didn't want to take the time to tighten the bolts, as I needed every hour today just to get the plants in the ground and get the dirt out of the driveway.

I was working from the top of the drive down. Every plant weighed forty to seventy pounds and was incredibly awkward to shift. I needed to get underneath the plants and pull the existing weed barrier up and dig a hole for each plant. I am going to take advantage of the fact ( cheat) that I want to raise the bed four to five inches so the next time my car tire slips onto the wrong side of the concrete border, the ground will be high enough, I don't get high sided and hung up. Besides I found the ground underneath to be a mass of very inhospitable clay and rock.
This digging holes was a huge undertaking and the longer the plants were out of the ground the worse off they are.




I dug down just enough to make hollows then tossed in the new compost and am hoping that having built up the bed six to eight inches with plants and compost that the plants will survive the transplant. I sprinkled some slow release fertilizer and added another layer of dirt.





It took all day, from 8:00 am when the soil arrived until the children came home at 3:00 pm. I pretty much worked steadily, moving almost three yards of dirt and digging holes and tearing out weed barrier with a knife and shovel. I was sore and grateful when the children finally gave me an excuse to quit.





We had to go volunteer for chess club. Leaving less than half a yard still sitting but covered in tarp. The boys wanted to skip chess, but I told them we had a commitment. If we stayed home I was going to have them help move that last little bit of dirt. They chose chess club.





My muscles are still feeling the workout. This morning it took less than 2 hours to move the last bit and clean up the driveway of the residual spills. I still need to sweep more, but it looks pretty good. I just hope the plants do well.





I still haven't' tightened down the wagon. Now that the dirt is moved using a bucket I am not so motivated to work on the wagon. Tom tackled part of it after work. Riley worked on more bolts. I am told a few remain. Plus since it was sitting unattended some how one link pin was misplaced so one wheel is not attached. I am about ready just to return it to the store rather than deal with it.

The basement is dry. As I had hoped the towels and the concrete absorbed the water and we can now move on.

I did a burn pile today. The weather was overcast and wet and breezy. I figured my neighbor would have his windows shut today and the wind would blow most of the smoke away before it really bothered him again. A friend suggested not burning or using loud power tools on weekends as a consideration to the neighbors enjoying their yards.

I had been doing my work on week days anyway when the one neighbor complained, but I keep that tip in the back of my mind now, so I can tell him how thoughtful I am not to be ruining his weekends next time he complains about my hard work.

to look at the yard, it looks like I barely made a dent. But I know how much I burned of the cut blackberries and downed branches. At the garden show last weekend I talked to the noxious weed specialist from the county. She said not to leave the downed blackberries on the ground as they will sprout creating more roots. I had to clean it up and it has been gnawing at me to get them off the ground before the burn ban in June.

I will continue clipping and cutting. Trevor moved the bricks for the fire pit. I need another fire pit. I am going to have several, so I don't have to drag the debris very far. Once every thing is down to a dull roar I will find a good spot for just dumping debris. But right now there is just too much to dispose of to just pile it up some where.

I am about ready to bring out the mower and set it on high clearance for the cleared areas so I can keep those areas finished without new growth of berries. Keeping this busy makes me feel better about not doing anything regarding the job hunt. Between the boys being sick or needing to be run places and the house and yard work, my days have been pretty full.


As I work on the yard I get some great ideas on the perminant landscaping. The problem is Tom has some ideas also that are more expensive and different from mine. I want to get a few plants in the ground in the back but I am afraid they might get bull dozed when Tom tackles his ideas. It is one of the reasons why I am working so hard at clearing the back so we can see what we have to work with and come to a happy compromise.