Now We're Finally Getting Somewhere!

With the drama, the terror, the dump truck finally behind us, the lighthearted fun was over.

How do you get a dump truck load of garden soil from the front driveway to the back yard?

The answer, my friends, is not pretty. It's sweaty. Very, very sweaty.

You grab your rusty wheelbarrow and shovel, then you lock and load.

The big boxes seem bottomless at first, but after a dozen wheel barrow trips, they begin to look somehow different, as if slightly fuller.

Here Box Two is full at last.

Box Three just sits there and glares at me.

An early barrow load is dumped into the gaping maw of Box Four.

You can see a layer of compost in the bottom of the box. The native clay must be broken up with compost, to make life easier for any roots that grow deeper than the 12" of new soil.

The battle turns in my favor. Box Four looks nearly satiated.

To make sure the beast is tamed, you tamp the soil down, or it will settle amazingly (20% or more).

You haven't put in this much work to build a planter that's only 3/4 full.

Box Four is fully domesticated.

One more to go. Only little Box Five remains empty.

I can deal with it.

Dealt with!

Happy Anniversary, Baby! Got you a new garden!

(We're winding down now, and that's your final obscure reference for this essay.)