sod off

Yesterday saw the breaking of ground at a friend's new grow space. Tree limbs were removed, stakes pounded, lines strung and, my favorite, sod peeled from the ground. Certainly not a science, but perhaps an applied art. Nah. Let's stick to referring to it what it is, grunt work. Not that this peasant-stock minds much. As I suspected, tree roots run rampant but a few inches below ground. A borrowed roto-tiller will prove a welcome solution. And what to do with so much sod? A question that will be asked many times in the near future, to be sure. For the moment, stack it high and wait until the answer divines itself. Next: roto-till, amend with compost and topsoil, plant!

sod removal...

...is back-breaking, laborious, evil work. But oh so necessary. Waging war on the front lawn filled most of the morning and afternoon today. Warm spring sunshine helps. First the cardboard is removed, then the sod is sliced into manageable sections measuring approximately 2' x 3' using an edging tool. Next a flat shovel is utilized to begin scraping the sod sections and accompanying roots and as little soil as is possible. No easy task, but excess soil can be sifted from the sod sections after its removal. If the sod is kept all in one piece it can (more) easily be rolled as it's being scraped up. The strips are inverted and laid from whence they came so that the majority of the soil can be broken free from the grass roots before returning it to the future vegetable bed. For this task we use a delightfully named tool called a "garden weasel," which is essentially a hand-powered roto-tiller. The next steps are to determine where the sod will be composted and to amend the soil with copious amounts of compost and minerals including limestone, gypsum, greensand, and phosphate. Seeding and transplanting to follow shortly!

garden prep

Rains continue to soak the saturated ground. Field (lawn) capacity was reached days ago but still the skies offer no mercy to anxious gardeners. Wait is all I can do, and to busy myself with other projects and plans.

To prepare for the additional garden space that will occupy the front yard, cardboard salvaged from area grocers is laid flat on the existing sod and secured with bricks. A shambled patchwork of urban refuse it appears to passersby, but if it speeds the death of the grass beneath and facilitates easier cultivation when (if) the rains ever subside, it'll be worth the eyesore. Meanwhile seeds continue to sprout and ready themselves for life outside in the big, wet world.