back yard ~ grading

back yard ~ 06MA30-01

After the dike was built the back yard sloped quite dramatically from the dwelling unit to the dike. Alongside the dike it was low enough that it filled with water every spring, making it impassable. This portion of the back yard was initially graded to be a largish lawn with a fire pit in the middle; the level of the whole stretch was raised. Much of the extra soil from grading the east yard was moved to behind the dwelling unit. The area was then crowned and sloped to drain to a furrow between back yard and nursery. Raising the back yard created a barrier between two low areas both of which collect a lot of water when snow melts. A ditch was dug with the tractor across the back yard to allow water to drain from the nursery into the east yard. The plan was to install a lengthy culvert that would span the region.

back yard ~ 07MR25

However, two things sparked a change of plan:

• There is too much water from the west yard and nursery in the spring and regardless of the diameter of the culvert, at 15 m long it would have remained frozen until the middle of June; in cold years it might be the middle of July before the ice melts.

• It is preferable to sit around a fire and to have the *recreation area* over by the pond.

Many chunks of concrete and largish rock were added to the nursery side of the path that comes from beside the garage. JunipersWhile blue chip and prince of wales junipers stay close to the ground, common juniper — if we can ever find some — will eventually grow to 1.5 m tall. will eventually be planted on this rocky slope.

grading ~ 2008

Digging out the portion indicated in the photograph began in 2008.

back yard ~ 08AP15

grading ~ 2009

More of the same: the unfinished digging was resumed in 2009.

The triangle near the dwelling unit was dug out and mini-culverts / ditches were installed to drain the area beside the dwelling unit and the triangle.

grading ~ 2010

No work was done on this region in 2010; it was too wet for most of the summer.

grading ~ 2011

back yard; compost ~ 11AU29

The last remaining high spot, adjacent to the path behind the dwelling unit, was dug with the bucket on the tractor. The soil was placed in a slightly raised area beside the east edge of the nursery, between the compost pile and the dike.

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back yard | back yard ~ species table | back yard ~ planting