The “Last Frontier” (AKA The Back Forty, The Bottom, The Holler)

It’s been on the to-do list since we bought this house:  “Make plans to clear out back line of property for a sunny vegetable garden”.  The back line of our property is 80 feet of overgrown honeysuckle, briars, saplings and weeds woven into an impenetrable wall of green, reminiscent of Maleficent’s forest of thorns.  It is situated beyond the wood line, in full sun and backs up to a small stream—perfect for a garden.  In a yard full of shade, this area is a land of sun and possibility!  A land into which we must finally venture, thorns or no thorns.

After six years of looking longingly at our back woods with hopes of “someday” clearing it out for a garden, we finally pulled the trigger!  Last weekend my mother rented a Bobcat mini excavator and my brother John came and drove it down through the woods and into the wild frontier!

Slow and steady work… scraping, pushing, digging… until a small space cleared became a big space!

John even pushed over a couple of pine trees and then tore up the root and carried them away with the claw part of the machine.  :)  So much faster than cutting them up.

And at my request he saved this little water oak tree for me!  Someday it will be a lovely shade tree for our lower yard!  I love my little tree!

The property runs right up to a little creek in the back.  It’s charming. :)  Also, Riley loves it.  She takes every opportunity to run down the bank and splash in the water.  Then she goes tearing around through the dirt until she is filthy!

Now that it’s all cleared out, we have to till, rake, and clean up the roots and rocks and stumps before we can put in rows of vegetables, a swath of grass and some flower beds.  Plus we have to clean up the woods and add a little pathway so you can safely reach the gate.  Lots of work to be done down here! :)  Can’t wait to show you more results! 

And since it has officially been cleared out, the “bottom/last frontier” shall now be called “the garden” or “the lower yard”.  Now that you are up to date on the lingo… here is your before and after comparison… what a change!

Thanks Mama and John for all your hard work! :)