April 12, Sunday

Redrilled the screw holes and finished the frame. Removed my old very small garden bed (2'x2'), which covered part of the site for the new bed. Went inside to rest my aching back. Got caught up in the Masters final and watched thru the end.

Back outside to dig. Pulled up some sod to plant where my old bed was. Dug up about 1/3 of the sod total before my back needed more rest. My back muscles, if indeed there are any, spent the winter in front of the PC and the TV. They ache when I change the cat box. I have to hope all this moderate effort starts to strengthen them up. The ache is gone with 30 minutes rest, but it's really quite debilitating when it's there. Next outing I'll pretreat with some Tylenol. 

I'm delighted by what I saw beneath the sod. Black, healthy-looking Illinois soil. Not packed hard, digs and crumbles pretty easily. Plenty of worms about, which means there's enough microscopic life in there to keep them happy. Whatever trouble I may end up having with pests, varmints, or disease, it should be no problem getting a garden started in this soil. The topsoil I bought is probably overkill. But I did need soil to fill the frame.

Rain due tomorrow, so I covered my site with plastic and an old painter's tarp. I hate digging mud. Weather today and yesterday was gorgeous for working outdoors. Sunny in the upper 50s. I'd say I hope to finish the digging and get some seeds in on Tuesday, but it's really up to my old back. I'd love to get the topsoil out of my truck. It's costing me, and our environment, gas mileage.