Shaak Ti and the Big Garden Project

We posted previously about Shadowfax and our big garden project. Now it's Shaak Ti's turn.

The project is slowly grinding to completion. The work crew has been pulled to other projects so the last few weeks have consisted of slow incremental progress. I think that the first phase can be done with another 8-12 hours of work, maybe by mid-week next week.

The large pile of dirt is starting to shrink.  It will be completely gone when the project is completed. The gravel path underneath may need to have a fresh payer of gravel added though unless the crew can scrape off all the packed on clay fill dirt that has accumulated in spots.

The hole is completed and they have secured insulated foam board along the inside and outside, and are in the process of back-filling it while incorporating 600 feet of flexible drain pipe.

Shaak Ti's main concern is having a place to lay in the mulch and warm her tummy. She's not a terribly complicated little critter.

Shadowfax and the Big Garden Project

As we mentioned in previous posts (here and here), our big garden project is underway. To date a work crew has dug a large hole and excavated a great deal of dirt.

About half of the dirt is in the front yard in a newly created raised garden bed, the remainder is staged in the back yard. The dirt is just here temporarily until the crew uses it to back-fill into the hole. But in the meantime it has added an exciting new dimension to the backyard and the dogs are enjoying it immensely.

Shadowfax has been having a great time with the dirt pile. It's a heck of fun playground.

Playing in a giant dirt pile can get you tired though. Shadowfax realized that the new dirt mound was a great place to have a rest and keep an eye on everything. The higher vantage point allowed to her to see further afield. 

This big dirt pile should be gone by next week, and we'll continue to have some more pictures and updates on the project.

Garden Project Progress

Our big garden project that we detailed last week? It's in full swing. The crew had an mini excavator on site and were digging for three days. This is the end result of all that digging.

We've got a 8' x 10' x 7' deep hole in our backyard. The hole is braced and supported to prevent a cave-in.

It's a pretty impressive hole.

Along with a large hole there is a corresponding large pile of dirt. About half of the dirt is in the front yard in the raised beds that we're creating. The other half? It's staged in the backyard to be filled back into the hole when the time is right. Shaak Ti is a bit dubious of the change in her surroundings.

Big Garden Project Underway

The big garden project we posted about the other day is fully underway. For the record Alycia said I was being "a blog tease" by just posting a picture of a metal stake in the ground. The accusation stung a bit.

The work crew came by to stage some of their equipment and mark off the area that they're going to dig. The wheelbarrows are for transportation of the dirt. 

We're going to be removing a whole bunch of dirt from the back yard and instead of having the work crew haul it off, I made some raised garden beds in the front yard for them to deposit the dirt. This is the much preferred "two birds with one stone" gardening approach.

The crew has lined the grass with plywood to prevent it getting trampled from numerous wheelbarrow loads.

After the first day the crew left their digging machine in the back yard. We're on day two of digging. Everything was OK until a depth of about five feet when they hit hardpan (aka caliche - this is your word for the day) and their pace slowed considerably.

The hole is going to be roughly 8' x 10' and 7' deep. And at our insistence they fenced off the hole so the yard was safe for dogs during the construction.

All the material that was removed on the first day was hauled, one wheelbarrow load at a time to the raised garden beds in the front yard. This is roughly about half of the total material that was removed. The other half of the material? That is going to be staged in the back yard to be put back in the hole once the hole is completed.

So what does all this amount to? What are we doing? You can feel free to hazard a guess, but we're going to leave the big reveal for a later post.

Shadowfax the Majestic

Shadowfax the majestic and mighty pittie poses for the camera. We've learned to capture these moments quickly. Taking time to try for perfect picture composition is a recipe for a lost shot.

Wait!!! Is that a squirrel. Quicker than you can say "Squirrel!", the shot is lost as Shadowfax races off to investigate the alleged squirrel sighting.

Today is a tough day for her and Shaak Ti as our big garden project officially breaks ground (literally). They'll be stuck in the house for most of the day as workers and equipment work on the yard. More about our big garden project will be coming soon.

Big Garden Project Started

This seemingly innocuous picture below represents the much awaited and frequently alluded to secret garden project that we have started.

I know it doesn't look like much, it's just a metal stake in the ground. There are three other stakes, they make a large rectangle. What's the big project? What's the big reveal? You'll just have to stay tuned, there will be more pictures and posts in the coming weeks.

A Fine Afternoon

Shadowfax enjoying a fine warm Spring afternoon. Alternating between protecting the house from squirrels and neighbors walking by, and lounging on the patio.