What to put on all that dirt?

You may be wondering what we did with that six yards of dirt from last Thursday.  Well, it got distributed along the north side of the house, around the new patio, and all over the shelter mound...one cart load at a time!

Starting sod in a dry Texas can be a challenge.  We are permitted to water it by hand, daily, for a total of 30 days.  After that, once per week on trash day.  Same for the seed we had to put on the mound.

The white-looking fluffy stuff, is a shredded wood product turf mat.  It's job is to protect the seeded area from runoff (and the fresh dirt there too!), and to help keep it from drying out.  The seed should sprout and grow up through the matting, and it should slowly decay into the soil.  The challenge will come the first time or two we try to mow the grass and matting.

Everything else got sod.  A whole pallet of TIFF 419 Bermuda, according to our turf supplier.  Oh and there are 11 pieces of some other Bermuda variety (the really green stuff) I snagged at Home Depot, when we didn't think we would be able to get the sod on a pallet from the other supplier.

Sod went all around the patio, and on the east face of the mound.  We put up a series of walls with T-posts and orange construction fencing, in an attempt to keep children and dogs OUT of the area.  We were kind enough to leave them an exit off the patio, out into the rest of the back yard, for play, and other 'business'.

This part of the back yard renovation was the easiest in my mind, since I got to go pick up the sod, and return the rental truck, whereas DH had to finish prepping the soil, and tamp it down with the 10" stamping plate.  He and the Monkeys set most of the sod too.  Our hope is that the sod and seed will all take, and we will be able later this year to enjoy a green and somewhat shaded, cool back yard, perhaps with some as yet unacquired patio furniture.