The Bungalow Pit

Progress in the front yard! The paths have been dug, the sand added and laid the flagstones and River Rock borders. There’s even enough leftover stone and rock to make a few more paths. Rachel wants to plant Woolly Thyme in the spaces between the flagstones once the major construction in the front starts to die down a bit. We’ve come a long way from this:

I’ve always wanted a Fuji Apple tree. We found one at Nick’s Nursery and planted it in the front yard today where it should get a fair amount of sun. The label says “no pollinator required”—hope that’s true. We dug an extra big hole, added gypsum, compost and a little fertilizer then gave it a good water. Hoping it does well. This is the only deciduous planting we’ve done so far, should be nice having the seasonal change in the yard (not to mention some apples.)

The soil in our yard has become a minor obsession (and growing.) Rachel and I love to garden—always have. With all the construction and restoration, we need a place where we can work out our stress and feel connected to our place, and nothing does that quite like working in the garden. We go to nurseries at least once a week and always manage to buy something new—no matter what promises we make that we’re “just going for inspiration.”

However, nothing will grow well if you don’t have good soil, and our soil is clay. I’ve been reading several books on gardening (even some great websites) and we’re doing the best we can with what we’ve got. We’ve already removed truck loads of soil—not easy and not cheap—and have been replacing it with organic material. I’ve also been spreading gypsum on the clay and working it in. If anyone has any words of wisdom, I’m all ears.