DAY 1

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Today the slope reno begins! Excavation of some of the soil and the deck build beginning.  This is too large of a project for me, so I have hired it out.  I've been SO excited for this!!! Talk began when Ivan started clearing the area of continus & yuccas.  Dreams of a shade house are coming true.

PGE showed up yesterday to spray this quickly before the dig.  There isn't electric up there.
These two gentleman have worked very hard today, they did take a short lunch break but then right back to it.  I hope they have a hearty dinner tonight.  

When I got back from my morning run, they had dug out a good amount of soil & rock. I'm impressed, this is about 70 minutes of work! I was sad to see my Arbutus unedo a little brutalized :(. But, I do think it will be o.k.  
I'd have liked to save a little of this dirt, it's good stuff!  But realistically I don't have anywhere to put it. 

I went about my business, repotting some neglected baby staghorn starts & orchids that have been laying around. Watered and put them in the greenhouse for the time being. When I was moving them in, I noticed the 2 Palo blanco seedlings looked not so great.  But when I looked in closer I realized, they are already turning BLANCO! How wonderful.  I started these from seed about 3 months ago.  *Totally copying Gerhard, Succulentsandmore  -at the least, taking his recommendation. 
Some of Ivan's cool oddities in the greenhouse, they LOVE the heat.  


Behind the greenhouse, I have a passion fruit vine which hosts Gulf Fritillary butterflies.  At this time of year, they are floating around by the dozen back there, caterpillars all over the vine.  I noticed what I think is a Monarch butterfly come into the area, and 2 of the Gulf Fritillary were on the  Monarch like a cheap suit! 
I hadn't seen them be territorial before, or were they being friendly, haha?! Yes, that is definitely powdery mildrew on the pumpkins, but I have just 2 left to harvest -so no big D. 
And, around 3:30p I was done for the day, I needed to come inside and take the time to fill out my ballot.  James said the measures took a while to go over.  And as the men were cleaning up for the day, I snapped these two photos. Wow, I'm super impressed with the work so far.  

Looking forward to seeing what they accomplish on day 2! 
Dr. Feelgood sniffing their wheelbarrow, he's a little irritated with these guys causing such a ruckus in his yard.  Somehow I feel like he will get the most enjoyment out of the new area.  Naps.  
I'm going to post each day until it's complete.  It is scheduled to be done Thursday, but they got so much done today I wouldn't be surprised if they finish early.  

Comments

  1. Liz A.October 21, 2024 at 6:12 PM

    Yay for hiring out the hard work. That would have been way too much for you. Initially, the paint looked like "no pee" to me. I had to take a second look...

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 7:55 AM

      Ha ha! I couldn't figure it out from the house and had to walk out there.

      Delete
  2. Kris PetersonOctober 21, 2024 at 7:07 PM

    It certainly looks like you're off to a great start, Tracy! Getting a good foundation down is key. My husband says my lath house has settled a bit lower on one side, probably the result of the extra rain we've had the past 2 years :(

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 7:56 AM

      If I had been in charge, I can only imagine the outcome. Your lath house is beautiful, nothing you can do about wet winters.

      Delete
  3. Susie @ pbmGardenOctober 22, 2024 at 4:51 AM

    Tracy, glad you found the right people to realize your project. Would love to have a dozen Gulf Fritillaries floating around. I've not seen that many of any species this year. The male Monarch is lovey too.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 7:57 AM

      Thank you Susie. The butterflies stop me in my tracks this time of year. I was happy to see the Monarch!

      Delete
  4. Jenn JilksOctober 22, 2024 at 6:51 AM

    That does look like hard work! It'll be great, though.
    Our Monarchs have migrated. There are a few fritillaries still. I'm ready for winter.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 7:59 AM

      The mornings are feeling chillier around here, but still warm days this week. You've done a lot of work to prep!

      Delete
  5. danger gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 9:45 AM

    I was getting anxious looking at all your plants in the area and hoping there wouldn't be damage. Looking forward to the next installment!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 10:01 AM

      Yes, I'm putting it out of my mind for now! I realize there may be some, and with all the digging and construction, it's not unreasonable.

      Delete
  6. AnvilcloudOctober 22, 2024 at 1:59 PM

    You do seem to have an awesome place with garden and all, and more awesomeness seems to be on the way.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 3:47 PM

      I'm so excited about the addition, it will have the advantage of being able to view of most of the garden.

      Delete
  7. Open Your Heart to GardeningOctober 22, 2024 at 2:36 PM

    Beautiful place and awesome you could hire out the yard work. I've been trying to manage all on my own at the moment.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 3:48 PM

      I usually do everything on my own, too. This construction was just above my head.

      Delete
  8. Gerhard Bock (Succulents and More)October 22, 2024 at 6:54 PM

    Wow , what a big and exciting project!!

    Fingers crossed for your palo blanco seedlings. It's one of the coolest companion trees for succulents.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 22, 2024 at 7:58 PM

      Thank you, I'm tickled. Those seedlings, I hope they thrive!

      Delete
  9. JerryOctober 27, 2024 at 12:12 PM

    Argh! Construction! Anxiety! We have some of our own starting up tomorrow. 16 years of neglect being fixed. I just keep reminding myself that any damage that does occur will likely be completely forgotten by 6-12 months afterwards.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. tz_gardenOctober 27, 2024 at 1:45 PM

      I love it, and couldn't wait for them to leave at the same time!

      Delete
  10. Carla from The RiverOctober 30, 2024 at 11:45 AM

    Tracy, I love when dreams come true. We just finished building our raised bed garden. It has been a dream of mine. Carla

    ReplyDelete

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I'd love to hear from you, ~Tracy

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