This post will need to be done in several installments. I have done much hard work so far to get out new yard ready for some great new plants.
Our yard is pretty shaded, acidic, and used to be mostly sand with many gigantic rocks scattered throughout.
Before we started, I raked as many leaves and pine needles out of the yard as possible. I wanted to start a compost pile in my yard and there was plently of material to get myself a good start!
We imported a very large truckload of dirt last summer. I never took pictures of the pile, I'll just have to say it was very large. It took the kids and I most of the summer to distribute it over our lawn once we removed the largest rocks. I have several piles of rocks buried under the blanket of snow, I'll take some pictures of them in a few weeks. We had to do most of the work on our own since Cheesehead works 60+ hours a week and rarely has much energy to help with this physical work.
After we hauled the dirt, we had a bunch of other work to do as well. First, I used a hoe to level the dirt as much as possible. Next, we used a roto tiller to mix the good dirt in with the sandy soil below. We had many more rocks to pick up once that step was complete, so we gathered as many of those as possible.
Once we had completed all of that work, we found a pallet sitting in our yard. We a hooked it up to the lawn mower with some bungee straps so we could make sure the low spots were filled in. It flew around a bit much, so we decided to add some extra weight. Peanut was just a bit light to get the job done so we had to bring in the big guns after a while. That's what most of these pictures are showing.
Notice the barren condition of the land. This is about two years after the home was built, so it's not like there just wasn't a chance for the grass to grow!
There is a line of trees at the edge of our lawn, this is the front corner near our driveway.
This is near the house at the top of the driveway. We have done some landscaping up near the house and driveway, you can see it in the background of this picture.
Peanut had fun hitching a ride, but she wasn't heavy enough to get the dirt pulled into all of the low spots.
Cheesehead has black hair, handsome, isn't he? The other man is BIL.
After we got the low spots filled in we put down lime, tilled it in, evened it out again, seeded and fertilized it, then rolled it down so the seed wouldn't wash away. WHEW!
In the next installment I will be sharing some progress we had made before the first frost last fall.
Leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
Our yard is pretty shaded, acidic, and used to be mostly sand with many gigantic rocks scattered throughout.
Before we started, I raked as many leaves and pine needles out of the yard as possible. I wanted to start a compost pile in my yard and there was plently of material to get myself a good start!
We imported a very large truckload of dirt last summer. I never took pictures of the pile, I'll just have to say it was very large. It took the kids and I most of the summer to distribute it over our lawn once we removed the largest rocks. I have several piles of rocks buried under the blanket of snow, I'll take some pictures of them in a few weeks. We had to do most of the work on our own since Cheesehead works 60+ hours a week and rarely has much energy to help with this physical work.
After we hauled the dirt, we had a bunch of other work to do as well. First, I used a hoe to level the dirt as much as possible. Next, we used a roto tiller to mix the good dirt in with the sandy soil below. We had many more rocks to pick up once that step was complete, so we gathered as many of those as possible.
Once we had completed all of that work, we found a pallet sitting in our yard. We a hooked it up to the lawn mower with some bungee straps so we could make sure the low spots were filled in. It flew around a bit much, so we decided to add some extra weight. Peanut was just a bit light to get the job done so we had to bring in the big guns after a while. That's what most of these pictures are showing.
Notice the barren condition of the land. This is about two years after the home was built, so it's not like there just wasn't a chance for the grass to grow!
There is a line of trees at the edge of our lawn, this is the front corner near our driveway.
This is near the house at the top of the driveway. We have done some landscaping up near the house and driveway, you can see it in the background of this picture.
Peanut had fun hitching a ride, but she wasn't heavy enough to get the dirt pulled into all of the low spots.
Cheesehead has black hair, handsome, isn't he? The other man is BIL.
After we got the low spots filled in we put down lime, tilled it in, evened it out again, seeded and fertilized it, then rolled it down so the seed wouldn't wash away. WHEW!
In the next installment I will be sharing some progress we had made before the first frost last fall.
Leave me a message and a backlink. I'd love to hear your thoughts!
9 comments:
Cinj, wow, your place looks like it was carved right out in the middle of the woods. That was quite some work on seeding that lawn but it will be worth it as it grows in and isn't bumpy and lumpy.
Your pictures resemble something that would happen in my yard. What a lot of work. Your lot looks lovely with all the trees.
Cinj---we are truly two peas in a pod cause me and dh create all kinds of inventive ways to get the chores done. I like how you used a pallet to even out the soil. Ya'll would make good rednecks if you lived down here. You'd be just like us!! I admire that you did the work correctly too. You laid a good foundation for the seed. And it looks like a family event. Everyone looks happy and all pitched in to get the job done. You are truly a sweet family.
Good Morning Cinj! I had to drop by with a quick note before I'm off to work...I look forward to catching up with you later today :). Have a wonderful day...is it really Wednesday? It looks like you've done a lot of hard work, your backyard is beautiful!
Have a blessed day,
Kathi :)
cinj,
Hi, I am so jealous of your woods. I would be out there searching for wildflowers.
What will you do with the rocks? I love big boulders in gardens, myself.
But not everyone does.
Hope it's getting warm.
Gail
Like Gail,I think your woods looks like a perfect spot to find spring ephemerals, how lucky you are. Good job on the smoothing, fun for one and all! Looking forward to watching the progress.
Frances at Faire Garden
Hi Cinj! Like everybody, I love your woods and those boulders, too! What a beautiful setting for your new garden. Looking forward to future installments!
Hey all. Thanks for stopping by. I really was a lot of hard work, but I wanted it all to be done right. My friends complained about me mixing the good dirt in with the sand, but I really don't feel that it was a mistake at all. Maybe I'm just crazy. I guess we'll see if all of that hard work pays off when all of this snow melts.
These are all pictures of my front yard. I'm afraid I won't be able to afford to get to the back yard until next year or the year after. Funds are limited and I want to do things right. As long as I have a small piece of paradise, that's all I really want.
Melanie- Yup. It is, smack dab in the middle of an old pine tree farm. I'm loving it. I only wish I could afford the lot right next to us too. Maybe someday. I doubt anyone will buy it since it's not really buildable in it's present condition.... At least, I HOPE they don't.
Debbie- Thanks. We were drawn here because it seemed so quite, serene, and peaceful. So far I have not been disappointed, althought it's been hard work.
Anna- I really do think I'd fit right in. I'm all about getting things done as cheaply and efficiently as possible. I've lived in town all of my life, but I really feel like a country girl at heart. We like to spend as much time together as possible. Thanks for the compliment!
Kathi- Thanks. I sure hope it turns out to be worth all of that hard work come spring. Stay tuned!
Gail- I have searched high and low. There were a few flowering plants, but barely any. I didn't think to take pictures of them, but I will this year. Mostly the under layers consist of non berry producing thorny type bushes of some sort. I hope to be able to remedy that situation, but we'll see!
I have used some of the rocks in my landscaping. I will show some of those pictures in my next post. I also used some to fill in my window wells so all that sand doesn't get all over my basement windows when it rains. I made some drainage channels with some also, otherwise the water coming from the downspouts carves large holes in the sand.
I like big boulders too, unfortunately I didn't end up with any of those. Just smallish ones. I'm still using them though.
It's 20 degrees now. I think it's supposed to get into the mid 30's. At this rate I'll still have snow in May!
Frances- Thanks for stopping by. I am anxious to see how well my grass comes up this spring!
Ellen- Thanks. Glad you could drop by and chat. I look forward to writing about my continuing adventures.
Nice job! Your soil looks like mine, and I don't have a very good lawn, but I like it that way. (No young kids to play on it, anyhow.) For my flower beds, I've been amending with horse manure. It helps a lot, but the sand just kind of "swallows" it over time and I need to re-apply every other year or so. Good luck with your grass!
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