I've been putting down new mulch in the pathways lately, half a yard at a time. This is what it looked like a week ago, after the first yard.
I've been getting half a yard, all that will fit in my little Toyota Tacoma, most days after work. It only takes four wheelbarrows full, half an hour, to unload and spread. Below is what it looked like today after spreading the latest half yard.
I'm lovin' it! And all just a little half yard at a time. Like eating an elephant.
I was just talking about this to a customer yesterday, and another one today. They were both overwhelmed because I'd just explained to neophyte-gardeners-them how much compost they'd need to haul and spread and work into their planting beds and over their lawn. I told them of my garden mulch project, how I'm doing it just a half an hour a day, and how good it's looking after just a little more than a week. I gave them a pep talk about how they could do it themselves, that they didn't need to hire anyone or beg favors from guy friends with trucks. I wish I would have had these pictures to show them.
I used to get two full yards at a time when I had my big truck. It was a chore to unload. I'd be out there for hours shoveling and spreading and shoveling and spreading. I came to dread it.
So I avoided doing it. I'd sheet mulched and put down new mulch each year, but the weeds kept coming, some probably because I waited 'til the last minute, avoiding. Last year I had some health problems (I'm a lot better now.), so the weeds really got away from me.
One year of seeds equals seven years of weeds. I saw the writing on the wall early this year (after two days of pulling weeds out of the walkways, and that was with Rhonda helping. Ugh.), so sprung for black contractor's plastic right away and made the firm decision to just eat that elephant one half yard of pine bark mulch at a time.
I'm done fighting weeds. I want a pretty garden that's easy(er) to keep up.
I think I have it now.
I may sound all calm here, but inside I'm jumpin up and down and dancing a HELLUVA jig!
Looks great, and smart to just do it a little at a time.
ReplyDeleteThanks, Laura! Yeah, I think I've finally figured out how to get a lot of stuff done without wearing myself out. I used to be like the hare, running circles around everyone and not getting that much done, really. Now I'm more like the tortoise. I like tortoises. And turtles.
DeleteI agree with Laura. It really does look great. Perhaps one of the main reasons why it looks so good has to do with the fact that you did a little at a time. There was no rush. Taking your time makes a real difference when it comes to things like mulching. However, if there was a way to do it quicker, I think that we would be all over that! http://www.mccollumtrucking.com/mulch
ReplyDeleteThanks, Lauren. Yeah, it'd be nice if there was a quicker easier way, wouldn't it? Then again, there is something satisfying about finishing a job that took a lot of work (*she says now that she's done and not still looking at weeds and a mound of mulch*).
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