Thank you Cayuga and Petronius!!! Gail....no ma'am completely reworking that area...remember it's most clay and no drainage. Digging holes around the yard and dropping in gravel, paper and mulch to see it that helps any before i act like a gopher. Not a huge yard at all, which i actually love.
Why paper and mulch in between the gravel when it could be the dirt you took away as it's the gravel for doing the main source of work to move the water
Cute Gail..ok I said that wrong...i meant, fill the hole with gravel and backfill with compost/mulch and shredded paper mixed with what was already there. Don't forget it's that gumbo/clay mixture going on in my yard.
Expanded Shale is a good way to amend the black clay and create a workable garden. Lay about 3 inches of it on top of the area and till it in to a depth of 6-8 inches. You can do small areas, moving around the garden plot to make it easier to handle and dig it in instead of using a tiller.
Hummerbum found out what it is mixed with paper...straw mulch it helps plants grow so that was added in the soil when it was laid down ….hubby said the straw mulch mixed in your dirt is causing the rise of water
LMBO at the hand....Ok I'm so confoosed...lol. I am going to mix those things with the existing clay/silt/gumbo. Are you saying don't do that?
mate, we know you had sandy soil which you stated but you never mentioned about mulch and paper till yesterday and when we checked it out it's straw mulch...when my hubby was saying pea gravel with your sandy dirt back in the holes that was ok but since he's found out there mulch and paper in it also ...it's this that's rising water through your lawn mulch and paper. Your gravel and sandy dirt would have been ok...just don't add any lawn yet and see how the water goes once they're filled because you can't separate the straw mulch from the dirt if it's all mixed together
No Gail..re read that again..,I was going to ADD/MIX paper and compost to the existing soil and THEN use the new mixture as the backfill. Nothing about straw woman.... is hubby saying not to mix paper with clay stuff? On the flip side....i love your characters.
@hummerbum bare with me..old age mate Hubby said just pea gravel and the dirt you fetch out place back in
Update 2/10/19: Have been very busy in the yard this weekend..I'm off most Fridays and that gives me an extra day to "relax" (lol). This is what I've been up to since Friday. It was so beautiful here..weather was 78 and bright with pollen-filled air. Couldn't resist from the time I got up (6:30 a.m.) Called myself taking it easy because I didn't sleep well. Yeah, that worked for all of one hour, while hubby was still up. Started with my picking up that shovel and digging trenches, i did. Well, now you can see what I am working with here. Then thin layer of topsoil is ridiculous. Not only that, but there is that crazy plastic mesh they use on new lawns for the grass to take hold. Whoever laid that needs to be sued. In the pic you will see the thin layer of TS, then plastic mesh, then nothing but sand. As I pulled up the plastic mesh, the "grass" came along with it. The roots had nowhere to go and this home has been here since 2003. Oh, did I mention that I collected the earthworms..they now are in a box hopefully eating the scraps that I fed them. Will be moving them this wknd to their new home in the yard for my compost. Man, do I have a lot of food for them in the freezer. Before: Mostly Sand: Almost Finished Product: I literally went from one thing to the other,(Thank God for Aleve), 2:30 took a nap, got up when hubby got ready for work, cleaned the house and put on some awesome music videos and danced until 11:30 p.m. and still couldn't get to sleep at 12:30 a.m. Somewhere in between there, I moved the babies to the shed under lights. I am so happy. The space is amazing and as I "unpack" lights, boxes...I'm talking to myself and the plants and realizing that I can actually throw things away now, because as far as i am concerned, we are not moving again..lol. Now: Saturday: Had my crew of grands and parents at the apartment to "clean" and ready the apt for the movers next Saturday...ONE LAST PUSH AND IT'S OVER!!!!! Entertained them at the house ...cookout time..until 8:00 and then, to bed it went...hard!!!! TODAY: Moved I'm doing my version of "resting" today, which is that last shot of the shed. Don't know if I mentioned how warm it is in that shed. The seeds have their electric twin sized blanket (yes I bought them a blanket...Don't judge me). Just so happy to not take up the space in the house...but I tell you what...I'm waging a war with those daggone spiders. Have a lot to do in there, but for now...I am really content. One last shot of the older babies from the apartment. They look so happy out there. I just picked my toy pak choy. My radishes are doing really well..my unusual container.....first time evah that I have a radish!!! Do I pull it now and do you eat the greens. So pretty it would be a shame to just compost...but if i must. Truthfully, I have about 41+ lbs to get rid of and I think by getting my body moving, is what I needed and why i couldn't stop. It's been 11 years since I've felt that energy. My hubby said that I kept saying for years, that I needed to get my hands back in the soil and here it is! Wow, he really is paying attention...... Now off for that "rest". Enjoy the rest of your day!!!
Hi @hummerbum lovely pic's of what you've been up to and as any rain been soaking away? I had to put tinted spec's on for the pink shocker
Haha...Gail!!!! Thank you! I checked the trenches yesterday and "No" the water has not drained. But the rocks do make it better....I didn't finish with the rocks on one side and you can clearly see that the water is not moving quick enough. I see water in the part with rocks but not as bad. I have to check the "hole" that was dug in the front yard with rocks and covered with the dirt, to see how that did. Sorry to blind ya...lol!!!!!
