Putting in the sod...

Loving Sod

Today I made friends with sod.  No, today I decided I love sod.  Until now, the grass around the firepit has been transplants from other areas of the yard where grass was being removed.  This is an exhausting process of cutting out sections small enough to lift in a somewhat uniform shape. Because the bottom of the transplants were of varying heights depending on the moisture in our clay soil, (Today it's concrete, tomorrow it's mud), It was an exhausting and time-consuming process of adding or removing soil to try and get the grass at the same height. But hey it was free right?  Now sod,  get the dirt flat, fill in any uneven spots, cut where needed.  AWESOME.

I only got 4 rolls and it filled about half of the unfinished area- for some reason when the clerk said 4x2 my heat cooked brain said: oh that will cover 8 feet each.  Ya, nope.  There is now discussion of adding a brick patio area for nearby seating between the lemon balm and the rounded planter.  (not shown).  This small area was all covered in gravel surrounding the old pond so it is cement in the summer and muddy in the winter.  It may be a lot easier to put sand on it and lay brick than to try and dig into it. I also have my doubts that the sod will be able to really take root in it without a great deal of digging and new soil.
 
Concerns: For at least 24 hours the sod will look lovely - sadly, the temperature is in the 90's which means lots of water and it make bake it to death.  Still, given the amount of time to do the other process, I'm ok with the tradeoff. 

I think it's time to raise a toast to my personal "sod".

Happy gardening!

Building the in-ground firepit

Closer to finished

 We really love out firepit.  It is large enough to get a good fire (3 foot diameter) , deep enough to protect from embers and the stone and brick around it also provide good protection from ash and embers.  Testing it out has been great fun. I have planted thyme between the stone and brick that is entirely steppable and we have added a grill across one side.

So here's the thing about an in-ground firepit.  If you don't fill in the hole properly or compact the soil completely- it won't stay level.  Also, if the blocks are placed on the lip of the metal ring - there isn't anyway to adjust it after the fact.  And there is NO way I'm digging this back out of the ground to get it level.  The North side is just going to sink.  oh well.

The original pond was 10 x 10 x 4.5 feet deep
the smell as we drained it was AWFUL. The pond was listed as a selling point of the house when we bought it last year (9/2013) but it was not part of the master plan.  Too much work for me to maintain.

As you can see, 1/2 the firepit is built on a ledge of the pond and 1/2 the pit is on fill. As a result, it settled on the north edge as the soil and rock compacted into the bottom of the pit.

The ring is from the local Coastal Farm and Ranch , http://www.coastalfarm.com/

The block is from another part of the yard that now holds the water tanks.

The rings sits on a circle of brick on top of 2 inches of gravel and the inside is filled with another 3 inches of gravel.

My Husband in one of his sillier moments.  Halloween 2013

After filling in the hole, I tried out various ideas for what to do around the pit.  I finally settled on using the stone from the original pond and scavanging rock that had been around the pond as well.  I then added the brick border to keep grass from growing into the small rock.
You can see that grass is in the process of being transplanted to fill in around the pit and eventually the Thyme will grow in as well.

Fun with water barrels!

So the next step in the roof rain collection has happened - I bought the barrels.
The first steps:
1. figuring out where to put them
2. figuring out how many I would need
3. finding clean, food grade barrels for a reasonable cost
4. getting them delivered

The 275 gallon tanks ($125 each) will eventually have some sort of fencing in front of them -- probably bamboo -  and shade cloth over the top to prevent growth inside the tanks. Water from the roof will run through PVC along the fence into the tanks.

The smaller 55-gallon tanks ($20 each) will be set close to the house
 on blocks with a single access point either from a rain chain or downspout.

Here are some links for sites that have been helpful in putting together my water collection plan:
(I am not necessarily going to use these exact plans - I will post what I use)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MYTNciCplmw

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUhox1ORlRk&feature=related

http://www.instructables.com/id/DIY-275-Gallon-Rainwater-Collection/?ALLSTEPS

http://www.irrigationtutorials.com/drip-gravity.htm

http://www.dripirrigation.com/drip_irrigation_chapters/25/drip_irrigation_pages/40

Decorating the fence and outside of the house

 One of the many projects for the yard includes decorating the fence.  While the garden begins to form, the fence is a large canvas that creates interest throughout the seasons.  Our current plans include: birdhouses, decorated records, shelving, metal signs and dropoutart.com original art.

original work by Tim Blackburn  Dropoutart.com 

The teacups, plates, pots, and tin sign are either from Goodwill or garage sales. the sign is  framed with spraypainted, re-claimed wood that cost 25 cents from the local Habitat for Humanity
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