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Toiling up (and down) the mountain
Jun. 23rd, 2018 01:58 pmWe started what is probably the last of our big garden projects here on Midsummer Day in glorious sunshine. For a bit of context, most of the garden used to be a slope, levelled off in the middle to provide flattish land for the house and lawn. After we moved back here from Leeds, I suggested that if we were going to try and grow a lot of fruit and vegetables, let alone become self-sufficient, we needed to transform at least part of the slope into terraces, to have flat places where we could grow things. Several years on, we have a flight of terraces behind the house, heading up towards the boundary with the railway land and a bigger wider flight below the lawn, with raised beds at one end where the land starts to rise: plenty of lovely growing space! But when the upper terraces were constructed, a strip of flattish land was left between the lowest terraces and the retaining wall which stops the slope from slithering down and attacking the house.
Until now, this strip has been scrubland where we used to leave tools, plants for planting up, rubbish waiting to be taken down etc etc but now it will be scrub no more! We are planning to clear it and level it and add a path alongside the terraces (made with red paviours of which we have a useful quantity, although we need more) and a gravelled area between that and the wall, on which we can put pots. I also have the idea of having some seating up there so we can take our tea or coffee in comfort when we have a well-needed break from serious gardening: or, as a visitor suggested today, a strategically placed sun-lounger.
Right now, clearing involves a small but active rotavator to churn up the soil followed by sieving out the rocks and debris and, at present, re-distributing decent soil onto growing beds that are not yet full to overflowing. Lower quality soil is going to the end of the garden to help build up the levels there. Anyone familiar with the Owlers property will realise that this involves carrying soil down two or three levels and along to the far end. At present Mick is doing this but we hope to get a (paid) helper soon. Meanwhile, I am weeding the beds and arranging them so they can accept a reasonable covering of soil.
So we are busy carrying things up, down and yonder but in hopes of a real transformation before too long.
Until now, this strip has been scrubland where we used to leave tools, plants for planting up, rubbish waiting to be taken down etc etc but now it will be scrub no more! We are planning to clear it and level it and add a path alongside the terraces (made with red paviours of which we have a useful quantity, although we need more) and a gravelled area between that and the wall, on which we can put pots. I also have the idea of having some seating up there so we can take our tea or coffee in comfort when we have a well-needed break from serious gardening: or, as a visitor suggested today, a strategically placed sun-lounger.
Right now, clearing involves a small but active rotavator to churn up the soil followed by sieving out the rocks and debris and, at present, re-distributing decent soil onto growing beds that are not yet full to overflowing. Lower quality soil is going to the end of the garden to help build up the levels there. Anyone familiar with the Owlers property will realise that this involves carrying soil down two or three levels and along to the far end. At present Mick is doing this but we hope to get a (paid) helper soon. Meanwhile, I am weeding the beds and arranging them so they can accept a reasonable covering of soil.
So we are busy carrying things up, down and yonder but in hopes of a real transformation before too long.
