Since I moved into this house, I have wanted to "do something" about the back yard. Namely, have grass! GolfDad and Wombat paid to have a sprinkler system put in and concrete curbing poured, but we never got much further than that in terms of a lawn.
Wombat and I planted a Globe Willow (which thrived) and a Carolina Cherry (which croaked). We also planted two honeysuckle vines and two star jasmines, which have done well. GrandmaT has planted a number of day lillies and irises that have also done very well and produce beautiful flowers every spring. My friend KP gifted me a lilac bush for my birthday 5 years ago, and it has flourished.
We've used various parts of the yard as gardening space, with four raised beds now permanently installed on the west side, and a gate to keep pesky doggies out. We have four bins/barrels of compost "going." Mr. Mamie put up an outdoor clothes line for me a couple of years ago. We've got a big gas grill on the (small) patio, and we have a decent table inherited from the Igor family that is jealous that we always use the table on the front patio. In short, just about everything a backyard could want.
But.. no grass. At one point Mr. Igor had a rented rototiller he was using in his yard that he brought over, and we tilled up all the hard packed dirt. But... no grass. Somehow we just never followed through on either planting seed (so much tending!) or ordering/paying for/laying sod. It seemed like an overwhelming task to do it all at once.
But.. grass! On Thanksgiving weekend of last year a friend/colleague posted on Facebook that her family had 11 rolls left over from their sod installation. I piped up immediately that we would gladly take it, and my friend and her nice husband very kindly delivered it. Niece and Nephew were drafted to help get it laid out - a great "learning experience" for them!
We were able to do the whole strip between the back of the house and the back wall (south side). That left the east side, where the compost corner, globe willow, a/c compressor, clothesline, and double gate between our rock driveway and yard are.
About three weeks ago our neighbor across the street had sod delivered for his back yard and the neighbor on our east side's front yard. They had four rolls left over, so they brought them over and we extended out from the narrow section behind the house.
And THEN, a few days ago the same neighbor said that they guy behind his house (on the next street over) had a BUNCH of rolls left over - as in, 23! Last night he brought it over in a truck (so much better than walking around the block with a wheelbarrow!), backed up to our double gate, and we unloaded it.
Rather then rent or borrow a rototiller for a relatively small space, we just used the Igors' "claw" tool, as we did in November. You can see the handles of the claw below, along with Copper being (not) helpful.
After thoroughly wetting the dirt to make it easier to break up/pull weeds, we could see that we had some very un-level spots!
Nephew did a lot of dirt-breaking and weed-pulling.
Brother Igor shoveled dirt around to try to level the area a bit.
Igor takes a break while Mr. Mamie shovels. Nephew is clucking over the wall at the neighbor chickens.
Mr. Mamie and Nephew, unrolling and cutting sod... yay! Igor's in the back, cutting pieces to fit around the tree and in the curved corner by the compost bins.
Igor filling in along the curbing. Copper is chewing up a stick.
Nephew takes a break while Niece's cute friend tries to entertain Copper.
WE HAVE GRASS!
We need about 16 more rolls to finish the east side and do a tiny section in the southwest corner behind the house. That's a manageable amount to purchase and haul home from Home Depot, which I hope to do at the end of the month (once school's out).
Happy!
~Mamie
"When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro!"
(Hunter S. Thompson)
