Project recover

It is quite remarkable how long it is taking to restore some sort of normality in the garden, probably being made worse by the fact that I now only have a few hours in me at best before I tire and have to stop for another day. We've made some reasonable progress, at the patio end of the house and even in the bulk of the rest of the garden, however the very back remains a problem.



The grass used to go all the way back, however whilst I was in hospital a lavatera and loganberry got right out of hand and essentially destroyed the grass. They have been dispatched and the heap on the right hand side is the lavatera which has been drying to allow it to be shredded or burnt. The composters were essentially whacked where they stand now, but are not all that easily accessible. Yes, it is a mess.

We also have another slight issue, in that we purchased a rotary drier last year (we call them whirlygigs where I come from, what do you call yours?) and initially we put it in a really large pot full of bricks and sand, as a sort of stand... however, it leaned and didn't really work and has been out of use since. Using a tumble dryer when we shouldn't need to is getting to me in more ways than one, so that too needs to be resolved.

So, my idea is to use decking boards to create a bit of a raised bed at the back:



We have some spare old paving slabs hiding behind our shed that we could use to put the composters on, and having them one behind the other (as you look from this direction) would minimise their impact whilst also making them more accessible. Whirlygig to sit in front of the raised bed (or perhaps at the very front edge, just inside it to make grass trimming easier) with the remaining grass seeded over to hopefully regrow next year.

Currently, I am not entirely sure what we would grow here, but that could be worked out (maybe tatties etc to begin with?) and also not sure whether to go one decking board width high or two.

Comments, suggestions, advice all welcome as always

 

The photo is not hugely informative - the reason that the composters are there is because there is a line of evergreens leading up that side (they sit in front of an evergreen and a lilac) so nothing will really grow there. Admittedly, the other corner is not a lot better with the huge evergreen - but, as I sit here typing now, that evergreen is directly in my line of sight.

The left side is north facing, the back you see there faces east. The photo was taken in the late afternoon one day this week.

 

We had one previously, however the hole that it stood in is in the middle of the patio (not very conveniently located) and the pole on the new one is thicker/wider than the old one. We'd have to lift some of the patio, chip out the old ground socket for it to allow us to concrete the new one in - and to be honest, that is beyond me nowadays. I will be needing help to do what we are planning to be honest.

Given that we won't have a bottom on the raised bed, is it safe to assume that a one board barrier around it would be sufficient, or should I be looking at two?

 

The cost could be the restricting factor there then - especially for the soil to fill it.

 

I am going to have to go the delivery route for topsoil/compost/manure - there is only one stables locally to me, and it is rare you see them making their manure available. Besides, you don't get a lot of manure in a saloon car, and you don't get any in the boot of my Jag!

 

Update time - as a reminder, here is the before:



And after today's efforts: