Monday, November 16, 2009

Garden Update--My World

I showed you this last spring, the beginning of my project to remove the lawn.

Drought seems to be a permanent feature of California weather and I wanted to reduce our use of water.
After I removed the sod I dug down 12-18 inches and removed the larger rocks. My garden consists of river cobble cemented together with clay. I then dug in compost and turned over the sod in some places and piled the rest of it high to make a berm at the back of what had been the lawn. I couldn't afford to lose the sod, the only decent soil in the yard.



You might ask why I have river rock when I live on a hill. The sign at the right explains how this came to be. In brief, at one time this was a valley which filled with volcanic ash. Since the ash was so hard it did not erode easily, thus the valley became a hill and the former hill became a valley.















The rock I removed I used to make raised beds and dry streams.
I covered the old sod with layers of newspaper and cardboard. Then I got 8 yards of bark mulch and put it down thick.

I made three raised beds for vegetables. I'll wait to plant the rest of the garden and allow the sod to decompose. I'll use drip irrigation as we have in other areas of the garden.



See more worlds here.

My World Tuesday is brought to us by Klaus, Sandy, Wren, Fishing Guy, Louise and Sylvia.

26 comments:

Diane AZ said...

A beautiful yard in harmony with nature. The rocks you unearthed are gorgeous. Dry streams give the illusion of flowing water.

Sylvia K said...

Fantastic, Martha! Have to agree with Diane, it is a beautiful yard in harmony with nature! And such beautiful rocks! I love them! Thanks for sharing!

Enjoy!

Sylvia

Maia T said...

You have a wonderful piece of world, a beautiful yard and house.
That's an interesting thing about the formation of the hill.

Reader Wil said...

Martha, you have done a great job! It looks terrific! Very clever to design such a beautiful garden.

ninja said...

Great job! For a minute one might pity the grass but You're right - it makes no sense in California. So much smarter then all those who want a standard green garden when they live in dry places and they change the ecosystem into some unnatural human made place. How very ecological of You!

Unknown said...

What a HUGE project. And it's turned out so well. Very good solution for a dry area. I wish more people would adapt to the land rather than try to change the land into something it's not.

Carol said...

This looks beautiful! It must have been quite alot of work, but it looks well worth it. I like it better than the lawn. Interesting info about the hill that was once a valley.

Anonymous said...

You have made a beautiful garden. You are so right to remove the lawn. Makes gardening a lot easier in dry areas.
Jossie

Carolyn Ford said...

What a huge project and you completed it! I am impressed...except yard work seems to be NEVER completed! But, this looks incredible! What a nice view you have and a lovely fire pit to enjoy! Impressive photos go along with an impressive project.

Ginnymo said...

You sure did a wonderful job Martha!! That must have been real hard work. But the end result is very nice indeed!

SandyCarlson said...

I sure like what you did here. So very interesting.

Joe Todd said...

You are a hard worker. Two years ago I turned my backyard into a garden. This fall I replanted one area to grass (to much shade for garden) Some day I may get it right. Thanks for your post

PERBS said...

WOW! You've accomplished wonders!

Mostly stopped by to tell you I have my 7 things up for the award now. Drop by and see them. Not feeling too good yet so won't blog for a few more days and when I do, you will see my latest Christmas cactus blooming NOW!!!!!!

Gaelyn said...

That's a lot of work, but sure looks great. I really like the new look and what a wonderful idea to use the sod for a berm and the river rock also. How interesting about the geology. You deserve an applaude for all that work.

Barb said...

Your hard work is paying off, Martha! It looks like a delightful spot to relax. Call me when you're finished, and I'll come sit there with you! (Does this sound like the "Little Red Hen"?)

Ebie said...

Hi Martha, that's a great accomplishment and creativity adapted to California weather and drought. What a relaxing place.

I am glad I brought old memories through my photos. There are so many hidden treasures here that need to be explored.

Anonymous said...

Excellent landscape renovation! I think the river rock is perfect.

Yogi♪♪♪ said...

Wow, I am really impressed. Lots of hard work and planning.

Oman said...

you are truly artistic. i would love to have a lawn as lovely as yours.

Linda Reeder said...

Good job. Reuse and recycle. Love the rocks.

Arija said...

Gardening certainly is a challenge in a drought prone area. We have the same problem and you have solved the problem so well.

Della said...

Your world seems so different from mine. Nice!

Unknown said...

Hey, that's a really creative way to reuse your sod, save water, and still turn out with a beautiful landscape. Nicely done!

Snap said...

Thanks for sharing your garden progress with us. I'm always interested to see how folks handle riding themselves of grass! Look forward to seeing your veggies!

storyteller said...

Marvelous transition for all the right reasons. I'm reminded of how long it took ME to 'reclaim' my yard several years ago. I know how demanding and satisfying such work can be ;-)
Hugs and blessings,

Janie said...

Great job on the new yard in reducing water use. It looks very attractive.
We see river rock in desert areas around here. I suppose we had a change based on erosion, as you describe.