Day 145

The boxes were in place. I felt pretty confident I knew what I would put in those boxes. Now, it was just a matter of time to get the needed materials, find the time to move the materials to the garden, and hope and pray mother Nature cooperates.

She didn’t.

Though she spared us from long stretches of bitter cold and mountains of snow, she pestered us with fluctuating temperatures and small bursts of freezing rain and snow followed by intermittent delights of sun and warmth. That rollercoaster of weather made it difficult to plan when the garden could be prepared for planting. Plus, needing help from our farmer friends to deliver yards of soil for the new beds, we had to rely on their availability.

When the stars finally aligned, it was time to pounce so that we could eventually plant.

I first filled the area not covered with beds with wood chips. Luckily, my tree guy is able to drop them soon after each request. Within a few days, a small mountain of wood chips was dumped near the front of the chicken yard. Because the ground was still so soft it was a bit of a distance to their final destination, so I got to do some physical labor.

Fill the wheel barrow. Empty the wheelbarrow. Repeat.

Wood chips weren't all too heavy, but the back and forth got a bit boring at times. Seeing the progress was worth all of the boredom. When the chips were all in, it was time to fill the boxes with dirt and come chicken compost. 

Once ten yards of soil was delivered, it was time to enjoy some more physical labor. 

Fill the wheel barrow. Empty the wheelbarrow. Repeat.

Dirt was much much heavier than wood. Not only did I get my steps in, I got plenty of cardio work and a complete body workout with my wheelbarrow round trips. It was fantastic getting the soil in, but not so nice being sore in areas of the body I had never felt sore before. Maybe it’s just my old age.

The backyard transformation was well underway. There was still plenty of work to do. Plenty.