Garden Rehab

On day 5 of sod removal, we took a long look at our growing pile of sod and realized we had a problem. It was big. It was heavy. The City of Toronto would not take it away for us. (The City's  yard waste collection program  does not accept sod). This is an earlier sod pile... it grew. We decided to try composting the sod over the summer which will (hopefully) produce some really nice soil that we can use in the garden next year. The soil in our garden has a lot of clay, so the organic matter from the grass should improve the soil quality. We used cinder blocks and wood planks we already had to create a sod "corral". Sod corral. We've also planted squash in the compost pile. Growing up in Saskatchewan, one of our neighbours grew enormous pumpkins for Hallowe'en every year in his compost pile. The vines cover up the pile and the roots help to break down the compost.  By the end of June, after losing some of their cohort to squirrels a

We planned this day for weeks, getting ready to replace our lawn with clover and bring native plant species into our garden. On April 14, 2017 - the first really warm day of spring - we took the plunge. We started with a patchy weed-filled grass lawn and a lonely tree. Zsa Zsa provided careful supervision of the project to ensure it met the highest standards. Morning of April 14, 2017 Our first task was to move the tree from its awkward location slightly off-centre (just enough off-centre to REALLY bug Mark) to the corner of the garden. The new location will allow us to create a more cohesive garden design.  Unexpectedly long roots. Proud of our accomplishments. And here is the tree in its new home, along with the beginnings of our cedar mulch path ... Two and half months later, the tree has settled in and seems to have come through the move with no problems. July 1 - healthy tree, post-move.