# Rocky, uneven, yard where to Begin?



## missjen (Feb 19, 2016)

I bought my home a year ago,its a limestone cabin and the yard well its awful, its rocky hard uneven dirt with your occasional weed growing. I don't know how to describe how unlevel the yard is. But I have no idea where to start, I'm having to do it all by hand on a tight budget. I started laying a rock patio so its not a muddy mess when it rains. 

How do I go about leveling the yard, what landscaping ideas do y'all have and what should I use for more privacy along the tree line?


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## joecaption (Nov 30, 2011)

One would have to know where you are to make any real suggestions on what will or will not grow there.
I'd start by cutting down any of those dead trees and limbs and have the stumps ground out.
Have the soil tested to see what it needs.
Going to be tough to get anything to grow or level it out without having some fill and top soil brought in.


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## missjen (Feb 19, 2016)

I've cleaned out quite a bit


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## Bondo (Dec 8, 2007)

> How do I go about leveling the yard,


Ayuh,... Short answer is, Till it, rake it out to grade, 'n seed it,....

Where are ya on the planet,..??


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## spaceman spif (Jul 28, 2009)

When my parents were building their dream house years ago my Dad needed to till and smooth out the yard. So we got this bright idea to get some 2x4's, make a frame, and then pound several thick, long nails to stick out under the frame. We dragged that frame, nails down in the ground, behind his John Deere tractor and he drove around while I stood on top of the frame to keep weight on it.

A rock here, a tree root there, and that frame would fly out of the ground and spin and scratch my legs up good. By the end of the night it looked like I had been trying on pairs of barbed wire socks. But we did finish it!! The only thing needed to complete the scene would have been to have Jeff Foxworthy standing on the porch, drinking a beer and watching us and saying "Youuuuu might be a *******."


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## GottaFixIt (Dec 3, 2010)

Sometimes the only reasonable way to grow anything is to bring in soil that'll support growth. Your current soil obviously won't. 

A better option may be an alternative ground cover (gravel, mulch, etc) and some raised beds to garden in.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

missgen- look up your USDA climate zone or Sunset Magazine zones and you can find appropriate plants. It depends on climate & soil; that's why they're asking. You could just give a state & there probably will be someone in the same state, to make suggestions, if it isn't too large a state with many sub-climates. 

Tilling it depends on your budget. Ideal would be a farmer to till the soil with a tractor after some of the brush is cleared. I've found an older guy with a rototiller who charged such a small amt., I wanted to pay him more.

It also depends on the size. If all else fails, just do a small portion everyday. Compost appropriate vegetation, then use it for the soil. Hardware stores have sales on soils & fillers. That's very small scale but it works over time.

Do test the soil. There is a cheap kit in hardware stores. Your soil will probably be washed out of nutrients. The kit will tell you what & you can find appropriate fertilizer.
Even coffee grounds & eggshells will make a difference right around the house. I'm amazed how much coffee we go thru!

That sure looks like California :} Or a South-Western state. Or Australia :} That roof might be a priority. It will be very hot in the Summer. Good luck, it sounds like fun!.


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

Regarding privacy, I know of nothing that is budget except fast-growing plants. Wire with vines?

Also, your landscaping will depend on the water you have available in the drought.

Sell the mistletoe that you have in the trees! :}


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## missjen (Feb 19, 2016)

Haha! I'm in west central Texas, I've brought dirt,sand, gravel in all by hand many of loads in the bed of my truck.

At this point with the difference from my back porch to the far corner I'm going to have to make it 2 or 3 different levels because that's a lot of dirt to be brought in. At this point I'd just soon do that because all these rocks are a pain in the keister. Thanks for the input


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## Nik333 (Mar 1, 2015)

If you're still around, are the dark barked trees Madrone? We have them in California.
http://w3.biosci.utexas.edu/prc/DigFlora/ARXA/madrone.html


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## Joeycarnuba (Mar 3, 2016)

If your ground is rocky you probably won't have much luck tilling it. You would be better off renting a bobcat to grade it. You'll want to wet the soil for a few days prior to let the water seep deep into the soil so its not muddy. Then bring in some new top soil with proper fertilizer mixed in to support new growth.


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