The Saga of the Backyard Dirt

MANY, MANY months ago we created big huge mounds of dirt in our backyard

Created from drainage projects and digging out part of the foundation for the garage

Our backyard looked like a DISASTER

(thank god it doesn't look this terrible anymore)

After MONTHS of posting "FREE DIRT" on craigslist and people slowly taking little bits and little bits and little bits away, we were finally freed from the dirt stronghold! But because the dirt had stayed so long, our grass wasn't looking too hot (in addition to the fact that we weren't watering it), and there was still chunkier bits of dirt in some places


So I got out the pickaxe and started breaking up the thick chunks, separating them, and trying to spread things out to make our yard as level and even as possible


For the most part the backyard is pretty level now, and thankfully we don't have a 10ft long and 4 ft high pile of dirt. But because the dirt had been there for so long it was REALLY hard and most of the grass around it had died. While using the pickaxe I tried to break it up as much as possible, but as you can see above, there are still lots of chunky dirt balls. Hopefully, with us walking on it and the occasional pickaxe swing to it, more of it will get broken up.

It's already starting to look a little better 2 weeks later

We've even got some bits of grass popping through

Eventually we'll re-seed (no sod for us), but the backyard landscaping projects aren't on the to do list till (at least) next year. So for now, I'm just glad our backyard doesn't look like this anymore