Dirt Sifter

Last weekend we planted some more trees for J. They are just little trees, hardly more than twigs. I hope they make it through the frost, because J has informed me that if they die, he is planting more trees.

Heaven help my back.

We had to dig a hole (obviously), but then we had to put the dirt through our dirt sifter to get out the large rocks so we could use the sifted dirt to plant the tree.

Our dirt sifter held up well over the years, but alas, it has died.

The original sifter was just wood screwed together with chicken wire stapled to it. We wrapped the chicken wire around the wood and stapled the heck out of it, but there were a few times I had to go back and do some more stapling because it was pulling out.

So I did a little research and a little planning and created a new, improved dirt sifter.

We used wood glue and brackets in addition to the screws.

I wanted handles this time for easier lifting.

I was hoping to find longer metal pieces, but these will do the job.

We wrapped the chicken wire up the sides and stapled it.

I still want to cut out the handles so that it's easier to carry, but it's usable now.

J has wanted the rock removed from his garden area, and he has also created some large rock piles as he has moved rock around over the years. We got a couple quotes to have rock removed from certain areas, and hired a guy to come out. He took the first load to the dump and said it cost a lot more than he anticipated. He didn't finish the job, so I wasn't very happy, but we weren't going to make the guy work a job at a loss. Plus, J said he doesn't want to make a habit of making enemies with people who know where we live.

These areas used to be covered in rock. There is still rock in the back corner, but J said we'll just take care of it.

Do you see the tiny little stick trees? The one in the middle is one of the new ones. The other two were planted last year. The other new one is on the other side of the yard.

This area between the arbor and the shed was an area where J had been dumping rock, so it had been a huge pile. I can't complain with the amount of work that was completed, so I don't feel too cheated.

That black thing partially in the photo is J's composter. I can't remember if I mentioned that he got that for Christmas. He was really excited about it. I don't really get it, but it was nice to make him happy.