And next on the list is...

I need to rethink what needs to come next. A couple of weeks back, I wrote down a little schedule…but now I’m not sure it’s the best.

For starters…I was planning to get the new compost and soil delivered next weekend and then to shovel it into the new garden beds. But I don’t think I’ll have the time to do that (am going to a wedding and an engagement party next weekend) and also I don’t think things will be ready for the soil by next weekend.

Even though we dug out all the garden beds this weekend, we still need to loosen the bed of soil that is there now, so the new compost and soil can be thrown on top. If we don’t loosen the existing bed of soil, drainage in the garden bed will be really bad.

So that means using the pitchfork to dig and turn the soil. Hmmm I wonder how long this will take me. I should probably allow half a day.

Also, before the new compost and soil is delivered, I need to work out what to do with the existing plants already growing in some of the garden beds. All of the existing garden beds need to be topped up with new soil so they can be 5 – 10 cm above the level of the adjacent paving. I don’t know enough about gardening to know if I can top up a garden bed with 5 – 10cm of soil without having to removed the plants, then replant them once the soil is on. Regardless of this, many of the current plants are in a layout that suits the old garden beds, not the new ones!

So I will probably have to move at least half of the existing plants. How do I do that? Dig them out, set them aside, add the new top soil, then replant them? Sounds like the most logical thing, but I’m not sure I will have time to do all the plants and top soil in the one weekend. So should I split it across a few weekends? I guess so.

Wow! Thanks for staying with me while I worked all that out.

So, this means my schedule for the next couple of weeks will need to change…and be extended.

29 & 30 March

• Pull out any plants that won't be staying.
• Loosen soil at bottom of all garden beds
• Tidy up all garden beds (get rid of sand and clods left by the paving guys)
• Measure garden bed volume (to work out how much compost and soil to order)

5 & 6th April

• Nothing. We'll be in Adelaide.

12 & 13 April

• Get compost and soil delivered.
• Dig up plants that will need to be moved
• Shovel compost and soil into garden beds.
• Replant

19 & 20 April

• Finish shoveling and replanting
• Paint inside of yard fence

26 & 27 April

• Nothing. Anzac long weekend. Visiting mum and dad

3 & 4 May

• Start planting!

10 & 11 May

• Nothing. In Sydney.