Gardening progress
The backyard construction project has been ongoing since the beginning of March. It sounded so easy. We wanted a raised bed along the fence. Easy to build. Get it done in a weekend, right??
BEFORE (facing back fence):
There's an unsightly concrete wall that's about a foot high that is the base of the picket fence, an aging cedar fence that separates our backyard from the neighboring city property (old-folks public housing apartment complex). In fact, I guess our yard level is significantly higher than their parking lot, hence the concrete retaining wall. That extra elevation doesn't do much for drainage, though - everything slopes down toward the corner, and maybe the wall holds it in, as that back corner gets kind of ice-rink-y in the winter. So, if we wanted to put a large shrub or small tree in the corner, it would be happiest if we raised it up a bit. Hence, the plan for a raised bed, 12" high, all along the back (concrete) fence. Raspberries in the corner, then the bush cherry (Carmine Jewel) in the main part of the bed, and overflow of the vegetable garden. The side fence is where the gooseberries are going to go, and there wasn't a real necessity for a raised be there (cedar fence goes all the way to the ground), but it couldn't hurt as far as drainage was concerned, and having a full squared off bed would make it a tidier landscape, so may as well do it while we're building.
So, that's one 26' long by 2' wide bed, about 1' high with a wall only in front, and one 12'x18" bed, 6"high, with rails in front and back (otherwise it would be disaster when the fence needed replacing. We added it all up, and we're looking at maybe 80 feet of 6" board, or 100-120 feet of 4x4 lumber or landscape timber, or 50' of 8-10" wide board... That's not bad when you're thinking of $4.99 for a 10' landscape timber, but if you rule out pine because it will rot immediately, and rule out treated pine because it will quite possibly leach things into the soil, and even if it doesn't do so seriously (there's a lot of debate about whether the chemicals get father than an inch or two from the wood), the whole "wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching this" doesn't make a really friendly feature in a yard we want to use for grilling, hanging out, and berry picking. So, that leaves cedar and fir, and plastic composite decking. We went all sorts of round with different sources of lumber, and it was all just horrendously pricey. $3.50-$4/foot for rough-cut cedar landscape timber. What saved us was the Builders Supply Outlet in Peabody - beautiful 4x6" fir and good cheap cedar decking boards, 1.25x6".
Here's Dirk laying out the boards (this was back in March) and making sure we've got a good plan:
Then we spent the next day digging up the grass (and transplanting those healthy chunks to some bare patches) and digging trenches to bury the bottom of the frame where the yard was sloped:
We didn't get around to actually installing the frame until the next weekend - it was cold, but it was kind of a rush to make good use of those last days before Dirk left, and get some of the heavy work done. The first layer, we drilled holes through, and pounded 1/2" rebar spikes to hold it down. That was way more challenging than we expected, as everything moves when you hit it with a sledge hammer - we had the first one half-laid about 3 times, pulling it out and trying to get it in straighter. The solution was to go drink, and try again the next day. I think having a few examples of what not to do, and an overnight to think about what to do instead might have helped, too. Here's Dirk drilling holes for the first layer, and fastening in the second layer with landscape screws:
We finished up the back-wall section before Dirk left, but had the whole side-bed left to go; we cut some of the pieces, but there was a lot of work yet to go. As well as all the nonsense moving bushes over the past weekend, I did get the back retaining-wall part of the bed laid, complete with landscape cloth to discourage the tunnelling of the neighbor's raspberry patch (and the back beds have turned into a temporary holding zone for the perennials I set aside from the destruction of the front bed):
The loam (4 yards of it!! though that's shared with my neighbor) arrived on Wednesday, and is still sitting in the driveway waiting for me to do something about it.
The good news is, we won't have to import earthworms - I've been seeing many as I go digging up their space. The real granddaddy ofthe yard turned up yesterday - that's got to be the biggest fattest worm I've seen in ages. I was so impressed I took his picture.
Finally, as of yesterday dusk, I've got the side bed and the raspberry pocket finished, and ready for dirt. That scooping probably won't happen till Monday, at this rate, but at least I've got what's nominally "done with construction!!
AFTER: (facing side fence)
Of course, it's going to rain tomorrow. I will admit I'm kind of looking forward to that - all weekend, my to-do list will be severely limited, and tasks involving shoveling are pretty much off the list. I'll still have plenty to keep me busy, but it's been way too easy to put a priority on yard stuff for every daylight waking hour (all 2 of them per workday!) and it's really time to mindlessly surf the internet, play some music, and stay inside for a day or so. Maybe even get some sleep!!
BEFORE (facing back fence):
There's an unsightly concrete wall that's about a foot high that is the base of the picket fence, an aging cedar fence that separates our backyard from the neighboring city property (old-folks public housing apartment complex). In fact, I guess our yard level is significantly higher than their parking lot, hence the concrete retaining wall. That extra elevation doesn't do much for drainage, though - everything slopes down toward the corner, and maybe the wall holds it in, as that back corner gets kind of ice-rink-y in the winter. So, if we wanted to put a large shrub or small tree in the corner, it would be happiest if we raised it up a bit. Hence, the plan for a raised bed, 12" high, all along the back (concrete) fence. Raspberries in the corner, then the bush cherry (Carmine Jewel) in the main part of the bed, and overflow of the vegetable garden. The side fence is where the gooseberries are going to go, and there wasn't a real necessity for a raised be there (cedar fence goes all the way to the ground), but it couldn't hurt as far as drainage was concerned, and having a full squared off bed would make it a tidier landscape, so may as well do it while we're building.
So, that's one 26' long by 2' wide bed, about 1' high with a wall only in front, and one 12'x18" bed, 6"high, with rails in front and back (otherwise it would be disaster when the fence needed replacing. We added it all up, and we're looking at maybe 80 feet of 6" board, or 100-120 feet of 4x4 lumber or landscape timber, or 50' of 8-10" wide board... That's not bad when you're thinking of $4.99 for a 10' landscape timber, but if you rule out pine because it will rot immediately, and rule out treated pine because it will quite possibly leach things into the soil, and even if it doesn't do so seriously (there's a lot of debate about whether the chemicals get father than an inch or two from the wood), the whole "wash your hands with soap and water immediately after touching this" doesn't make a really friendly feature in a yard we want to use for grilling, hanging out, and berry picking. So, that leaves cedar and fir, and plastic composite decking. We went all sorts of round with different sources of lumber, and it was all just horrendously pricey. $3.50-$4/foot for rough-cut cedar landscape timber. What saved us was the Builders Supply Outlet in Peabody - beautiful 4x6" fir and good cheap cedar decking boards, 1.25x6".
Here's Dirk laying out the boards (this was back in March) and making sure we've got a good plan:
Then we spent the next day digging up the grass (and transplanting those healthy chunks to some bare patches) and digging trenches to bury the bottom of the frame where the yard was sloped:
We didn't get around to actually installing the frame until the next weekend - it was cold, but it was kind of a rush to make good use of those last days before Dirk left, and get some of the heavy work done. The first layer, we drilled holes through, and pounded 1/2" rebar spikes to hold it down. That was way more challenging than we expected, as everything moves when you hit it with a sledge hammer - we had the first one half-laid about 3 times, pulling it out and trying to get it in straighter. The solution was to go drink, and try again the next day. I think having a few examples of what not to do, and an overnight to think about what to do instead might have helped, too. Here's Dirk drilling holes for the first layer, and fastening in the second layer with landscape screws:
We finished up the back-wall section before Dirk left, but had the whole side-bed left to go; we cut some of the pieces, but there was a lot of work yet to go. As well as all the nonsense moving bushes over the past weekend, I did get the back retaining-wall part of the bed laid, complete with landscape cloth to discourage the tunnelling of the neighbor's raspberry patch (and the back beds have turned into a temporary holding zone for the perennials I set aside from the destruction of the front bed):
The loam (4 yards of it!! though that's shared with my neighbor) arrived on Wednesday, and is still sitting in the driveway waiting for me to do something about it.
The good news is, we won't have to import earthworms - I've been seeing many as I go digging up their space. The real granddaddy ofthe yard turned up yesterday - that's got to be the biggest fattest worm I've seen in ages. I was so impressed I took his picture.
Finally, as of yesterday dusk, I've got the side bed and the raspberry pocket finished, and ready for dirt. That scooping probably won't happen till Monday, at this rate, but at least I've got what's nominally "done with construction!!
AFTER: (facing side fence)
Of course, it's going to rain tomorrow. I will admit I'm kind of looking forward to that - all weekend, my to-do list will be severely limited, and tasks involving shoveling are pretty much off the list. I'll still have plenty to keep me busy, but it's been way too easy to put a priority on yard stuff for every daylight waking hour (all 2 of them per workday!) and it's really time to mindlessly surf the internet, play some music, and stay inside for a day or so. Maybe even get some sleep!!