Birthday Project

Phase one of my birthday project is nearly complete. I have the area cleared and nearly level and a drain installed to move water from the gutter away. I need to finish leveling but it rained last night and now it is too wet to work. As you can see and as is typical here in the Piedmont of Georgia unimproved dirt is good old Georgia red clay. It has been pretty dry so this was pretty much like digging in concrete. This area was covered in ivy and the remains of a big pine which I had removed last year. Here is a hint...don't ever let English ivy get established or it will take the place and it is almost impossible to kill and even harder to dig up. The roots run forever and are tenacious. Makes for back breaking work and especially in this humid and hot August weather. This has taken me almost a week but I have been quitting around noon once the temperature goes above 90F.

The next phase is the 8 ft. by 12ft. 4x6 foundation and the pea gravel floor which I should be able to accomplish over the next couple of days, weather permitting. I still haven't settled on the best way to anchor the foundation but am leaning toward threaded rod anchored in cement which will add a day to the project but I am pretty sure I shouldn't just rely on the weight of the foundation to insure it stays in place.

According to the manufacturer by birthday present should arrive by FedEx ground on Monday so maybe I will be able to start construction next week.

Meanwhile, as I wait for a little drying, I'll go get my fall garden seeds started in their little pots. Cabbage, broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, radicchio, assorted lettuces, and some Chinese cabbages of various sorts. The garden soil is still too hot to plant the rest so I will just have to be patient before I get carrots, spinach, beets and radishes in the ground.