Progress....

We redirected our energies to the front yard today. Three sunny days in a row and you bet I'm getting these beds ready while the sun shines! :) These are the beds that we're doing the bulk of the planting in this Spring. Pics didn't turn out of the actual beds (I'll get better ones tomorrow), but here's one of the huge pile o' dirt that got delivered today. Do you think we can get all of this in before the thunderstorms they're calling for on Wednesday??? LOL...

As soon as I got the girls down for their naps I ran outside and got going. An hour later my sis came and helped out with the little ones when they woke up. I was out there from 2-6 straight and then got back out for another hour or so after dinner. I feel great! Sore as anything, but very pumped about how much progress we made today. The 2 smaller beds are completely ready, and the larger bed needs just a few more wheelbarrows dumped on it :) BTW, the "dirt" was really SuperSoil... LOL .... topsoil w/ sphagnum peat and leaf humus. It wound up being more economical than amending and buying separate topsoil. Also ordered some regular topsoil (but it also had a bit of humus). Laughing today that my DIRT actually cost more than my plants....

Oops! Forgot my dirt pic. Keep in mind that some of these beds are partially raised and all of them are getting several inches of depth added.... big ole pile... LOL :) Imagine my poor DH when he pulled up the street.... ;)

Sorry, ya'll, I was writing just as you were posting :) Just now saw you!

Trunnels -- that area gets about 3 hours of morning sun in the sunniest parts and about 1.5 hours of morning sun in most of the others. Just right for here :) I should be able to grow a decent spectrum with those light ranges...

Badseed, if my buns get worked off that will REALLY get me hooked on gardening :) And yes, as always, our neighbors think us mad :)

Don -- yes, I'm very, very thankful for a few sunny days in a row. The soil was just right to work today. Not rock hard from being overly dry and not wet. Yippee!

Expecting sun tomorrow, too, but then rain again. Hurry, hurry :) Look out for more pics!!


This message was edited Apr 4, 2005 11:32 PM

Wow, you are REALLY cranking - that's awesome! :D

Hey Hugga!!

I'm going to be haivng some dirt delivered too... Just a tip for next time: Buy a large tarp and put it down under the pile and you wont have that much waste or runnoff if it rains and you can have top and bottom covered with tarp.

I'm with you on the round-up. My cousins are local organic farmers and very helpful..... However, with that said, I contracted the worst case of poison ivy the dermatoligists had ever seen. It was on both inside arms and all over my body. I thought I was being clever and not touching it, but it was touching my clothes and I was rubbing my clothes and of course I took them off and rubbed more on myself. Well two shots in the rump later and nasty lingering ivy spots, I have taken to using roundup, but I assure you it's only when I feel that I have no other choice.. it comes over my property through my neighbors and I am determined not to let it cross over to get near me or my small boys.. I feel the same way about kudzu, but I can pull that and hack the roots for the most part. Chemicals are nasty though, and I wonder when I've been cought downwind of spray I just put out.. And yes I ahve read Silent Spring too, so again, i wasn't going to use it, but there is a time and a place and with me it's with rampant poison Ivy :)

Love your garden coming along! :)

Susan

Cranking ain't the word, GW :) LOL -- seriously, I'm beat... but it's a good kinda beat :)

First of all, I gotta say my Sis is an absolute doll! She was with the girls yesterday evening and tonight, even made dinner both nights. Because of her, DH and I were able to get more done in two days than we could've done in over a week otherwise. What a sweetie! I lub 'er :)

After I put the girls down for naps today, I trucked about 15 wheelbarrow loads of torn up sod (from last week) out to the open "field" behind our house. Then DH came home from work early and went to Lowe's for about 200 retaining wall blocks. He had to rent one of their trucks to get it home! We had 35 minutes to unload them all to keep at the minimum $20 for the rental. We were flyin'!! Whooee! Got it done, though. So now those are in the driveway, too :)

The roundish bed that I de-sodded last week (now called the Redbud bed, because a Redbud's going in it) has a serious decline issue. So, we have to build up a bit of a wall there and add quite a lot of dirt to make a more gradual slope.

Here's a pic of that bed while we were adding soil today. Hubby tilled the exisiting soil first, then tilled in a few inches of the new stuff. The rest of the new stuff is basically just going on top. Hostas and other shade plants will also be in this bed (Spring 2006).

Cant see can't see!!! :))

Susan

In front, the builders had shaped out another bed with major grade problems. We needed to add a lot of amendments/ soil, but it was all going to wash down the lawn w/ the first rain. So, we built up a small wall just in the front half of the bed. Well, DH did. I tried, but I could NOT get those durn things level :) This is not the finished deal, he added a bit more of the blocks to the right of the bed later, but it gives you an idea.

Here's a rather humerous view of our driveway :) But, considering the soil just came yesterday morning -- I think we've made quite a dent! LOL :)

Rainy weather called for tomorrow and the end of the week. I can still get out there and lay out the newspaper and soil for the "lasagna" bed, though, as long as it doesn't storm. That way the mound of dirt on the drive will still be shrinking ever so slowly....

More in a few days :) Thanks for watching & sharing my fun!

Susan, thanks for the tip on the soil delivery. I naively thought we could get it off the drive before rain... oops. Hopefully it won't run too much. A lot of it is on a relatively level portion of the driveway. Welp, folks, I'm beat... bed awaits :) Muscles need some rest! Take care...

Hugs

Wow...I mean, WOW! I envy your energy!

Hi Hugs! Oh, you work too hard!!! (I love the pain, don't you? It's a good sort of pain) You are REALLY making progress. Yes! Yes! Keep posting pics! And what do you mean, plants cost too much???? You're at Dave's Garden!! Post what you want. Who knows what may come your way. It's almost time to divide those perennials! Keep diggin!

huga--just checked into this thread for a progress report on your yard. You have really made great use of these last few sunny days! What vitamins do you take, girl?!! And your DH must really luv you 'cause that was a big pile of dirt and cement blocks to move around..not just for any girl, that's for sure!

And, darleen, just noticed you're from Athens...aren't you coming to the Ohio Rvr. Valley RU April 23? Don't see your name on the list...You would get to meet 'Huga, the supergardener', in person! She said she's coming and she will be one of our main 'attractions' after this effort! Still plenty of time to sign up...

Let's all hope this sunny weather hangs on. I bought two little bags of topsoil, and just looking at it makes me tired, but...I'm going to get some of Huga's vitamins and go for it soon, I hope!

Happy gardening. t.

They're prenatals, tabasco :) LOLOLOLOL.....

Hey, Darleen, seconding Tabasco's note -- hope you can make it. See http://gardenwife.com/cincy2005 for more info! :)

Oh boy, you better watch out... the last time I took prenatals I swelled up everywhere and got really huge!! :)!

Susan

What a great looking project. Being kind of a carpenter, I would like to see a picture of your whole house. Is this a new housing development in a former corn field ? We get lots of that around here.
To bad you're not closer to us, I would give you a heck of a deal on perennials.
Keep up the good work!
Have a great day!
Bernie

huga, do you have something to announce? :-)

Hi Hugs, Gardenwife and Tabasco.

I really thought about attending for a l-o-n-g time, but have concluded I can't get away.

I'm 2 classes from finishing Master Gardener Volunteer training (tonight and Saturday), then go into the actual volunteer work duties. (weekends in 2005 are my only free times to give)

I'm also the appointed landscape worker and design person for our "new" community center in the big village of Shade. A group of concerned citizens just got the old Shade School building and plan to turn it into a small?? center.

My own vege garden is like a swamp (and it sits on a south-facing slope!) and I'm "expecting" baby roses in 6 weeks and their bed is not ready because of all this dadburned rain.

Next time I will be with you! Retirement is 267 days from now! I promise to keep my Dave's membership up!

Darleen, you can do better than that! Tell your instructor this will be a hands on meeting with other gardeners and see if you can get class credits for attending. :) We'd love to meet you!

You guys be nice to Jacci. She should be calling those vitamins postnatal vitamins. LOL Or maybe pre-prenatal.

darleen--

yes, I agree with Badseed...explain to your instructors that you must go on a 'hands on' horticultural expedition to practice your master gardener communication techniques with the ignorant gardening public in southwestern Ohio.

And we promise to send you back with some plants for the community center, too.

There may be no 'next year', Darleen,....and we need your expertise right now! t.

Tabasco - may be no "next year" / ? you know something we don't or are you thinking '28 days'??
LOLOLOL

You unloaded 200 of those blocks in half an hour?? No body challenge this girl to arm wrestlin' at the reunion. And wheelbarrows full of dirt are no easy load either. Much admiration from here.

Your layout is great, and plans that you are really following... terrific.

Sorry guys, I cannot make it to the round up.

Hugs, now surely there are plants...seeds....yeah, hostas...that you want! Since you're energized have all that space to plant I say now is the time to ASK girl....please let us know...you hve our attention. I don't have much, and my hostas are not on your list, but I would love to contribute to your project anyway I can.

You want some morning glory seeds? How about echinacea purpurea? Humingbird vine? Just for you, dear.

Darleen, that is so sweet of you :) I do have a few types of seed that I'm going to direct sow, DG has truly been very generous! One DGer sent me about 40 different types of seed already just as a gift :) I admit, though, that I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed by trying to start all of those indoors w/ everything we are trying to accomplish outside. (Badseed calls me a crybaby....LOL). I have started a few inside, but I think I'm done with that for this year anyway. I'll sow the rest I have directly. Thank you so, so much for the offer, though -- truly sweet of you :)

I just hate that I can't trade back, yet. It's alright, though, I'm patient ;) Tons and tons of folks on here have waited far longer than a few years to gather up the plants they want. I figure I'll be fully planted in about 4 years. One side of the house at a time is my general plan :) This year the front gets planted. Next year the east (read HOSTA) side :) It'll come......

Thanks again,
Jacci

I just saw this. You have such a beautiful home, and what you're doing is really going to enhance it even more.

Thank you, jdee! That's very encouraging ;)

BTW, tabasco, Michele's right -- postnatal/pre-prenatals -- LOL :) Just still taking them because of nursing ;) Not yet, honey! Not yet! Give me....um..... maybe 6-8 more months ;)

Hugs :)

(pardon my oowees, still some swellin' & discomfort)

hugahosta .. beautiful home .. some fantastic plans, an ideal large canvas: create & plant away! (*hulk green w-envy here*)

Jes go easy ... 'Rome twernt built in a day!' .. (*smilin*)

And, for gracious and pity sake - KEEP 'em pitters comin', of every single lil something that takes place - ok? Want to see it ALL !! .. hee ..

Best wishes and happy 'new' yard & gardenin' to ya!

- Magpye

Welp, we slowed down a bit here at the end of the week. Still did get a few things more taken care of, but it's been very windy and even wet newspaper still blows around, so the lasagna bed is temporarily delayed... probably until the beginning of next week.

DH finished the retaining wall blocks around the little lightpost bed and has them up around the redbud bed in the back now. Still need to fill in the redbud bed with a ton more topsoil before it's truly "ready", but DH plans on finishing it tomorrow. Sorry no updated pics, by the time we clean up and get the girls down to sleep and remember to take pics -- it's dark! LOL :)

I also got a chance to "cut" the shape for the whole lasagna bed, so the hose isn't necessary anymore. Now that the entire east side of the house is basically torn up, I'm getting a little bit freaked out... LOL. My home in Va was much smaller than this and my total flowerbeds there were about the same as just the ones out front here. So, basically, by the time all is said and done at the end of this fall, I will have planted just about as much as I have in my life w/i one year. And I'll have about 3x as many plants next year than I have ever had at one time before. I think I'm a decent garden designer.... but only time (and money) will tell now! I'm a bit nervous about doing this all from my own little head... what if there's something major I've overlooked, YKWIM??? What if it all looks like some 29 year-old amateur threw it together.....eek..... kinda scarey.

I know that no mistake is irreparable, we learn from everything. I know that it will in all likelihood turn out fine. I'm sure atleast a few plants will make it through the summer... LOL :) I just mean that the finality of hundreds of square feet now devoid of sod and awaiting my best attempts is a bit... um... a bit freaky... like, "Well, let's take a deep breath, pray, and plant!". LOL :)

I'm still very excited, very happy that we're going to be moving right along so soon after moving in (moved in last April 23), I guess I just stared at the empty dirt beds too long today! LOL :)

Hope to post more pics tomorrow night....
Ya'll take care! Thanks again for "watching" :)

Jacci

Our poor grass is in such bad shape, I'd about drive out to your house for your sod! ;)

Lots got done today!!!!!!!! I'll post pics later on, I took quite a few so I started a new thread :) Check it out later on tonight...

Hugs :)

http://davesgarden.com/forums/t/498548/