May has arrived, and work outside has begun. Landscaping remains the biggest project at the farm, and the biggest to-do this year.
The plan for this month is to focus my attention outdoors. I have only a few months of nice weather, so if I’m going to continue knocking things off the landscaping master list, I need to take advantage of every day.
Here are some of the projects I’m considering this month:
Turnaround
- Weed the flower garden half (I gave up on planting flowers last fall and decided that half the turnaround can be grass for now)
- Spread wood chips on flower garden
- Make a top for the bird bath
- Put the bird bath in place
- Place the bench
- Continue to fill in the garden with more plants
Front garden
- Edge the garden
- Transplant a few bushes, trees and other plants out of this bed and into some of the other gardens (especially the turnaround)
- Fill in the pit from the woodstove chimney
- Fix the downspouts
- Weed as I go
“What do you mean you have to weed?”
Trees
- Pick up fallen branches
- Cut branches to firewood lengths
- Split firewood
- Burn brush
Grass
- Add top soil beside the front stoop and seed
- Overseed in front of raised bed under the dining room window
- Rake solar trench smooth and seed
Hoses
- Turn on water to exterior taps
- Install hoses at side and back of house
- Install a proper hose bib at the driveshed
- Shorten waterline
- Attach to waterline to wall
- Install a splitter so that I can someday add another hose bib at the opposite corner of the driveshed
- Reinstall tap on shortened waterline
- Install hose hanger
- Hook up hose
This list might be a bit ambitious for one month. Plus, I have to confess I don’t have sole responsibility for completing all of these tasks. When it comes to the tree clean-up, I’ll be relying on Matt and his Dad for their chainsaws and log splitter. Some of the transplanting will go easier with Matt’s help on the digging. My Dad will work with me on the plumbing for the driveshed waterline.
My plan is to focus on one area per week (or weekend)–weather, support crew and motivation permitting, of course.
Have you started outdoor work at your house yet? What’s on your gardening list? Seeding? Weeding? Transplanting? Watering?
Home on 129 Acres 
We love the bird bath pedestal – very elegant! A thrift-shop purchase? Our garden plans are minimal this spring – we’re focusing mores on our furniture projects!
The bird bath came with the farm. Unfortunately, there’s no sign of the top, so I’m going to have to figure something out. What furniture pieces are in your plans?
Our landscaping needs SERIOUS work. There are very few plants and instead of mulch (like I prefer) it has fairly large rocks (which I really don’t care for). So the process of digging all the rock out, filling in some dirt, planting actual plants and then adding mulch will be a long one.
And it may all get pushed back another year if we go ahead with the plans to add on to the house this year like we are hoping to!!
Your list is long but with help it won’t be quite as bad. And focusing on one area at a time will help. I am sure you will get a lot accomplished!
An addition!? That’s so exciting. I hope you’re able to make it happen.
If not, I think we’ll be spending our time in much the same way. Our rock, dirt, plants, mulch plans sound very similar. I find it amazing how much time the rocks take.
We also have lots going on in terms of landscaping this year, but this terrible Spring weather is putting a major damper on our plans! Fingers crossed for the both of us that sunshine and motivation come abundantly!
Rain, cold, wind… I have had lots of excuses not to go outside so far. Come on sunshine!
Furniture projects: 1) Finally finish Dockwood Bench 3 (started last fall, the last two small braces now dressed and sanded, ready to screw into position – then the five coats of polyurethane); 2) a Dockwood Deck Chair, sort of Adirondack-style (a piece of shipworm-riddled dock wood has been chosen for the two backrest elements, the remaining pieces TBD). It’s a very time-consuming process – especially now that the sailing season has begun!
That shipworm piece sounds amazing. it will be neat to see them done!
I don’t know if you already have a plan on how you are making the bird bath top, but I thought right away of this idea I keep seeing on Pinterest: http://www.33shadesofgreen.com/2010/07/making-hypertufa-pots.html
It looks like it would be fairly easy and look pretty convincing. Do you have a plan for it?
Your other garden plans sound really good. I think you’ll find it’s more encouraging this year, being as that you’ll be building on to what you already started last year. Good luck!
Thanks for this tutorial. This was one of my ideas. I have some containers I think might be big enough. Option B is a shade that I took off of one of the old flush mount lights we removed. It’s maybe not quite big enough, but it’s definitely the right shape. If I can fashion some kind of base to attach it to/perch it on the base, it would be really easy to clean out and change the water.
The gardens have already been much better this year than last. Building on is definitely much different than building from scratch. You got it exactly right.