ORCHARD AREA CLEANED UP

So this is our hidden horror, LOL.  The area behind the house where the fruit trees are.  Because we put up the deer fencing, I could no longer get the zen machine in there.  Well, I could reach the long swaths but not between each bed.  Then I put in the berry planting rings and that for sure stopped it.  I could use the weedeater to clean them but the weather this year was so crazy, it was never a good time we could do it.  Then I just decided, no one can see it, who cares, I'll just wait until cooler weather.

What I had to do first was take down the deer fencing.  Then I used the zen machine to mow the long swaths.  My plan was to borrow 2nd Family's lawnmower and that would allow me to make quick work of the area in between the beds and rings.  

Notice I said that was the plan.

They were glad to loan me their mower and I brought it up to the house and tried to start it.  And tried.  And tried again.  Fuel full.  Oil fine.  It was clean and still almost new (they bought it a few months ago).  I called them and said "is there a trick to starting this?"  She came up to see and said it ran the last time they used it...a few months ago.  We tried again.  I must have pulled that cord fifty times.  I have two blisters on my hand to prove it and my shoulder was burning like fire, ha.  We gave up.  I said no worries, that was just going to make it easier but I can go to Plan B and use the weedeater to "mow".

Here's an up close before and after:

This is in between one of the blueberry rings and the square box raised beds.  Yep, somewhere in that mess is the side of the square box.  I started by using the weedeater on the interior of the beds to clean them out and then I used it like a lawnmower in between...

This was after.  Done and nice and neat.  It took a few hours because it was just so much to do with only a weedeater.  But the end result was such a relief.

Here's a better view of the entire area:

This was slightly "after" the before.  I had taken down the fishing line for the deer fencing and I drove the zen machine back and forth through the long swaths.

But still...a mess.

This was about halfway through when I stopped for a lunch break.  I had made the first pass through the interior of the beds to clear the grass and weeds inside them and started going around the outside of the beds themselves.  Then I used the zen machine to clean up the paths and scattered grass and continued.

After another couple of hours, here is the end result:

YES!  Back to normal.  We are so relieved.  It's one of those projects that you know you need to do but you put off and then it just gets worse.  Of course, we remind ourselves that no one else sees it except us so why not wait until the weather is cooler.  Still, projects like this weigh heavily in the back of your mind until they are done.

The last thing to do was cover the inside of the beds with cardboard so they are worry free until Spring (forgot to get a pic of that). By next Spring the cardboard will have broken down and I can top off with fresh soil/compost to get ready for the new season.

And in the category of "serendipitous", how's this for weird?  I went downstairs to our recycle area and someone had put out a bunch of boxes after a move.  I got the valet cart and loaded it up.  I had no idea how many we needed, I just grabbed a stack until it seemed like enough and loaded up the car.  They were small, medium and large size.  I began cutting them to fit and  place around each of the trees, putting them down.  Some beds used more, some used less.

The last box was cut, the last bed completely covered...and...there were no more boxes.  Not one extra, not one less.  Somehow I had selected THE exact amount needed for the project.

One more thing done and less to worry about.  We'll need to figure out something for next year so they won't be overrun with grass, but that's a worry for then.

For now, we'll just enjoy pulling up to the house and seeing a neat and tidy backyard that matches the neat and tidy front yard.