On Saturday, I finished prepping the soil in the raised planters and planted the starts we had on hand. I also planted the seeds. I'll be adding a parsley start, a dill start and one more bell pepper. As the season progresses, I'll probably add/rotate other vegetables as well. I'll show pictures in a few weeks when things begin to sprout. Right now it's just dirt.
Here's the point of the post: Also on Saturday, Nate dug out sod and soil along the driveway so that we could lay brick. We've been wanting to widen the driveway a bit, because I always drive on the grass and for 8-9 months of the year it is muddy. He made great progress, and we nearly finished it on Sunday.
We started Sunday off right by enjoying brunch with some friends at The Country Cat. After stuffing ourselves full of deliciousness, we decided to work on the brick together since there was a threat of rain later in the day.
First, Nate put in a layer of gravel that we've had since we demo'd the back steps...last summer. After that, I picked bricks while Nate set them. This week we'll finish it off with some sand and see how that works - it's a little bit of an experiment. It looks better than we imagined, so this one feels like a win!
So now we have a huge pile of tarped earth that we have further plans for - the side yard and smothering the rest of the parking strip. We ended up using the bricks from the path in the backyard, so the path is now kind of a muddy mess. I'm planning to have some 1/4-10 delivered (probably next week), and I'll use that to refresh the path around the planters. And I love that wagon - so much easier than a wheelbarrow.
I want us to visit each other's homes. We could spend hours waving our arms around at the projects. I thought of you when I put out my last post, because I'm killing the grass in the new side yard with cardboard and mulch.
ReplyDeleteYes! We should get together. Our girls would have fun, too.
DeleteLooks great!
ReplyDeleteThank you! We are happy with it. We put the sand in tonight, and it feels even sturdier.
DeleteThat looks fabulous and is so smart! We always end up driving a bit on our neighbors lawn and you're right that makes a muddy mess most of the year. I'm glad you also wrote about your plans for the "xtra" soil. I was wondering "now what are they going to do with all that"...
ReplyDeleteHa! It is not the healthiest soil (it has that weird smell), but it will work for the two places we need it. Then we'll amend the top and finish it off with some mulch. The wider driveway will also make it easier to wheel the trash/compost/recycling bins down to the street - so glad we did this project!
DeleteWow... what a great addition to your driveway! It's pretty and you'll be so happy that it's not so muddy. Why is it more fun to start a new project than wrap up the ones that are dragging on forever?
ReplyDeleteThanks! We have trim in our living room still waiting for a second coat of paint...waiting since 2006. Our goal for the summer is to finish up the "little" things and not start any "big" things.
DeleteWell, you would know something about processing dirt - it looks as if you've done quite a bit! And it takes forever, doesn't it! I love the brick. We're in the middle of some brick work too, and aren't bricks awesome! It looks like you've got some nice old ones. I like the basketweave pattern you chose too. Very nice.
ReplyDeleteThank you! It does take a lot of time, plus we have to do everything in a certain order. It's like a big puzzle.
Delete