I've cleaned eveything in the house to pass the time while I'm on my own. Now what do I end up doing to relieve the boredom? Well this: Yep, at long last, our really wild second back garden is getting a make-over!!! The bags you see are filled with all the debris, brambles and weeds from the cleared area. I've found some lovely moss covered rocks that I'll dig up and use - somewhere. I've taken down a blue tarp to cover the bit I've cleared in the hope it keeps the weeds at bay. Next I'll tackle the terraces and then the back and side bits. Although it doesn't look like it this garden is waaaay big enough to build a sizeable house on and still have some garden space and a garage. I'm having a quick break and then I'll get back down there later. MUCH better than housework!!! Oh I meant to mention - I saw my first bee of the year today!!! Sorry didn't have my camera with me though.
I did not realize you had all that behind your house. Do have much wildlife living out there? That's the kind of place I love to wander thru. Good luck with the cleaning out.
I've seen plenty of mouse holes in the earth but no sign of the occupants Toni. Old birds nests from last year which I've cleared away, slugs and snails that have become airborne and landed, what a shame, on the coucils land. . Of course there's the ever present robins and blackbirds when you tackle something like this but that's about it. I know a fox patrols the area at night but I don't know where its earth is. Plenty of nice, fat juicy worms too so the soil is definately OK.
So now you'll have even more space to experiment with this year. Any plans for it Eils? You are making lots of people very jealous (apart from the back-breaking work that it)
Jealous, you bet. To have a chunk of land behind my house like that would be heaven.....except for the back-breaking work part. Save some of the birds nests to nestle in among your garden plants. I saw some like that in a gardening mag once and it looked really nice.....charming is the word the copy writer used,I have never used it to describe anything but I think it does fit.
Looks like you are making progress on it. We have quite a bit of wild area around thw yard and I leave it that way. It is home to bunnies, pheasant, quail and all kinds of song birds plus squirrels galore. We like watching the wildlife. They all wonder into our yard at one time or other throughout the year.
You have tackled a huge project Eileen.I hope you can get it all cleaned out.I have a huge area behind my house that needs the same thing done to it. I have had in my mind to do the same thing but it needs a brush hog to get the weeds out first.Good luck on getting it all done before your back plays out.
Just to explain why I've not tackled it before now. This piccie shows where our back fence is down at the moment - notice the new posts in place. The piece of garden in between (with the kiddie slide) is a neighbours and where the beech hedge can be seen is the start of our 'wild' garden. Usually we have to go out of the front door, right again along the main street, right again down a lane, and, yes right across a car park just to reach our land. However, while the fence is down our neighbour (little Angus's mum) is allowing me to walk over her garden to clear our space. I normally hate having to trail round there time and time again with tools, wheel barrow, refuse sacks etc so I'm trying to get as much done as possible before the fence is erected again. I was thinking of growing veggies there. An awful lot of hard work but maybe we'll be planting out next year. Toni I'm afraid I've already destroyed the birds nests.
Thats a great idea Eileen.You will enjoy the bounty so much .I only plant a small amount of veggies but I do enjoy the take from it.
An amazing lot of work you've done, Eileen!! I'm exhausted just reading about it, and the house cleaning, too.
I feel your pain! I've tackled some projects like that and it seemed to take forever. But, the satisfaction when it's done is worth it. I hope you get your vegetable garden. Dooley
