This is just a fraction of what was dug up and removed.Some people are so lucky. When they go to plant something in the garden, they dig a hole and plant it. Others, such as Gail, Pam, or Layanee, are lucky, though they may not realize it. When they go to plant something, they encounter a chunk of limestone or granite. Lucky? you ask. How can that be lucky? Comparatively speaking they are. They could be digging up large chunks of concrete.
I suspect the remains of a dairy barn were bulldozed and buried on my property.A couple of weeks ago, it was a cloudy, cool morning with cloud cover forecasted for several days and then rain. Perfect weather for transplanting a Tricyrtis that wasn't happy and for dividing another one that was outgrowing its space. I thought how nice it would look to move them across the path, to an area that I had just cleared of Lamium maculatum. Here's the before shot. 
I started digging and heard that horrible thunk that signals a chunk of concrete lying beneath the surface like some horticultural land mine. It wasn't unexpected, as my brother-in-law and I had encountered quite a bit of concrete when he installed a small screen near the composting area, and I've been digging up sizable chunks of concrete for the past 15 years from all over the property.
So I started digging. And digging. And digging. I had to keep digging because I realized that to remove the chunk that was where I wanted to put the plants, I had to remove several other chunks that were partially covering it. But to free those chunks, I had to remove even more chunks, and every time I pulled one out, I found three more. 
Call me Sisyphus.
I started digging and heard that horrible thunk that signals a chunk of concrete lying beneath the surface like some horticultural land mine. It wasn't unexpected, as my brother-in-law and I had encountered quite a bit of concrete when he installed a small screen near the composting area, and I've been digging up sizable chunks of concrete for the past 15 years from all over the property.
So I started digging. And digging. And digging. I had to keep digging because I realized that to remove the chunk that was where I wanted to put the plants, I had to remove several other chunks that were partially covering it. But to free those chunks, I had to remove even more chunks, and every time I pulled one out, I found three more. 
Call me Sisyphus.I had to stop for the day, as it was time for dinner. Then I dug the next day. And the next. I ended up digging concrete by myself for three days, and one day with my Very Indulgent Spouse (VIS) helping me. Along the way, I sawed through major tree roots and moved concrete out front to create a retaining wall. Several recently planted things had to be dug up to get at a particularly large chunk of concrete. I could have entitled this post "There Will Be Blood," as VIS and I both ended up bleeding. (I also got a finger caught between two heavy chunks of concrete. It's still a bit tender.) Here are a couple of representative samples:
Finally, we decided that we needed to quit, as we could easily have dug up most of the back garden. The excavated area is about 10 feet by 4 feet across at the widest and about 3 feet in depth.
I bought topsoil to fill some of the hole. I would have liked to have allowed it time to settle completely, but several plants were sitting out on the ground and needed to be replanted as soon as possible.
I'll have to dig them up again, put in more soil, and then replant them.
I'll have to dig them up again, put in more soil, and then replant them.But at least I got this nifty retaining wall out of it.
Did I mention that I have a new Geranium that I was going to plant?
Did I mention that I have a new Geranium that I was going to plant?
27 comments:
Do you have a prybar in your arsenal? It sounds like you should.
Also wondering about the prybar, MMD- 6-foot kind called breaker bars here and couldn't garden without one.
I'm so sorry you both were injured but wow, the retaining wall is impressive!
Annie at the Transplantable Rose
I completely empathize with you! When you hear the telltale clunk...your heart sinks a little...it often means some back breaking work. Btw, I have two pry bars in my rock removal arsenal! They help tremendously. MMD, I love the recycled concrete retaining wall...it is delicious looking and will be no doubt planted beautifully~~ Do you grow Sedum ternatum? A native woodland sedum that would love your garden... thanks for the lovelink...gail
Love the title, there will be mud. Backbreaking work you have been tackling and it looks great now! Can't wait to see the plants flourishing in that new bed. Love re-using, it's awesome.
Your garden is so similar to mine. I've come across asphalt, cement and almost everywhere I dig there's a tree root. It's hard work and sometimes frustrating. But I love the woodland garden look (yours and mine).
That must be most challenging for you. But, on the good side, the wall is very nice and free too.
God that's hard work! But on the fun side, I see some nook and cranny planting in your future!
Great way to reduce, reuse & recycle that broken concrete! That bed's going to look gawjus when it's planted. I like MA's idea of nook and cranny planting.
Oh my heavens to Betsy, was that "thunk" the sound of your heart dropping? That's some heap o' rocks. What determination. I might just have picked another spot for my transplant.
We hear that thunk frequently. I just dug up more bricks in the herb bed in front of the house. I think reconstruction debris was thrown there at some point, or maybe it is the 'dry well' rumored to be out front. Once the thunk was followed by a splaaaasssh! We found a 10 foot dug well in our Lawn Bed! So many mysteries in the landscape.
Wow, and I thought the rocks in my rain garden were bad! I agree that some succulents in the nooks and crannies would be a great way to redeem the concrete!
You deserve a nice retaining wall after all that hard work. A good looking wall too.
Here we have a small area where they must have mixed concrete to build the foundation and do the brick work out front on our house. If I dig in that area I get chunks of concrete, brick and sand. They just put fill dirt over it all instead of cleaning up after their work.
I second, third, and fourth the suggestion for a big strong crow bar. Whew, I got sort of tired and my back started to hurt just reading about all that digging. Hopefully, that's the worst of it!
Carol, May Dreams Gardens
Kathy, Annie & Carol - The prybar is an excellent suggestion. When my brother-in-law was trying to put in the post for the screen, he had a huge metal thing that smashed up the concrete. I'd ask to borrow it, but I can't lift it.
Gail - I don't think I grow that Sedum. I'll have to look for it. Maybe tomorrow!
Hi, Rosey Pollen, thanks for visiting!.
Sandy - and I thought I was the only one singled out for this challenge.
Tina - the funny thing about the retaining wall is that just a few days before my brother-in-law found this cache of concrete, I was thinking about how I needed a retaining wall in the new bed. Be careful what you wish for!
MA, Cindy & Rose - I'm starting to get excited about filling those nooks & crannies. It's full sun there, so I'll have lots of choices.
Helen - I've come to realize that no matter where I sink my shovel, I'm probably going to hit concrete, and I'm just stubborn enough to try to get it out.
CW - well, or new water feature?
Lisa - as VIS bitterly complained, we ending up paying for someone's laziness. It stinks, because it's too late the sue the slugs that did this.
Yeah, OK, a yard full of buried concrete is pretty awful. Like Annie, the first tool we bought for the new house was a breaker bar for breaking up caliche. Hard work, but at least I'm not cursing the previous occupants as I dig it up. ;-)
I remeber you saying you thought there had been a dairy barn at one time on your property-wow, that's a lot of concrete! I know it was HARD work, but it looks great now and I love the wall. But the best part is, I can really picture where you are talking about now after having seen your garden in person.
OMG, MMD, that looks like back-breaking work. But how clever that you managed to salvage a retaining wall. I'm lucky - all I had in my garden was an old air raid shelter from the war.
MMD, I admire your tenacity! I probably would have given up after the second chunk. But you did get a really nice retaining wall out of all your hard work. When I prepared my first flowerbed here, I had to dig out six inches of gravel; it was time-consuming, but not nearly the back-breaking work you had to do.
Your wall looks great. They used limestone for foundations on my farm and I have a similar limestone wall made from 'found' stones. It must have been killer work in this heat.
Marnie
MMD, That's a LOT of concrete that you and your VIH dug! And the weather has not been conducive to backyard digging!! Yes, I'm smiling because I am known to actually LOOK for and transport home concrete pieces like that! ;-) Welcome to the "green" landscaping club! (re-purposing concrete chunks) It looks great and even though there's a lot of work yet to do, it will be wonderful.
Pam - good point, for all of you with stone in the ground, it's a natural thing, not the result of someone's negligence, which just adds insult to injury.
Beckie - when you were here, I should have showed you the door knob I dug out of the front lawn.
Victoria - an air raid shelter is so cool! But then I'm a history buff.
Rose - six inches of gravel is tough too. I wonder what that was all about.
R&L - fortunately, we finished up before the heat set in. That's why I was working like a fiend on it. I didn't want to be doing it while dripping sweat, surrounded by a cloud of mosquitos.
Jeez, Sisyphys, that sounds like a job for a bobcat or backhoe rather than woman with shovel. But it might explain why your garden is so dry even though you are so near water. I say dig the whole thing up! Just kidding. Sort of.
Frances
Oh my goodness. I will NEVER complain about finding small rocks, chunks of broken glass, or an old rusted pry bar ever again. YIKES!
Buried cement. A gardeners nightmare.
I have huge sandstone bolders to chop out in order to get the lawn in. It will take a pick axe and lots of elbow grease.
I think your idea of making a wall out of the cement is great. That's what recycling is all about. Your garden looks fabulous.
That's crazy, and horrible, and awesome all the the same time! Love the wall!
Frances - there's no room back there for heavy equipment, so it's got to all be by hand. The sacrifices I make for the garden...
Blackswamp Girl - I'm so glad I've made you feel better about your property. ;^)
Thanks, Mountain Mama! Sandstone sounds beautiful.
Caroline - crazy, horrible & awesome are pretty much the norm around here.
I can't tell you how often my fingers have gotten between two hard things (like rocks). You have my sympathy. You did get a pretty nice retaining wall out of the deal.
This story reminds me of the recent digging we did in the shrubbery where we found over a gallon of nails and assorted other bits of glass, metal, debris. But nothing as impressive as your pile of concrete. I'd love to find a buried stash of slate pavers or something.
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