Ground Level Trampoline

When we purchased our new home back in October we knew we wanted to put our trampoline at ground level. We didn't know how...but some how we were going to have our trampoline in the ground. When moved in and started looking at the ground and getting used to the size and shape of things in our yard we were even more excited because we were looking at a yard that was bigger than we anticipated and thus gave us room for the trampoline and room to move. It was nice. Then warmer weather hit.

Our backyard is not finished and so basically it's just a leveled and graded dirt yard. On first observation we thought "this will be easy". On first attempt to push a shovel into the ground though our thoughts changed to "this is going to be work". We spent one weekend digging and digging. We dug a hole roughly two and half feet deep and six to seven feet wide. Not bad...except for the aching backs and the overwhelmed feeling of defeat. The following week we pulled out the big guns...pick axes. Yup that helped expand that hole about two feet wider and six inches deeper. Not what you would call progress. So then came the next big weekend with nice weather. We pulled out the pick axes and got to work...it wasn't thirty minutes later that we 

One of the volunteers

called Sun Rental to get a backhoe. Now the production went into overdrive (is that getting archaic? not sure if people even know what overdrive is...I'm not even sure I know what overdrive is). After riding the backhoe across our front yard (I hope we didn't break any sprinkler pipes) and getting the hang of the controls I was able to accomplish in 5 minutes what took us 5 hours to accomplish previously. We had the backhoe for "half a day" which basically meant 4-5 hours of running time. We only needed 2 hours to accomplish our goal of getting the tramp in the ground.

The bonus...my back wasn't aching and I got to play with a really big Tonka Toy. But our story doesn't end quite yet.  You see our trampoline is a perfect circle...unfortunately the hole was not. This means that there were places with little gap and other places with HUGE gaps between the edge of the tramp and "level" ground. So we knew we had more work. We had to find an effective way of backfilling without undoing all of our work. The weather, fortunately, turned cool giving us time to contemplate the best way to accomplish our backfill project. We thought of using palates and even found six of them that we could use to create a sort of wall to push the dirt against without it filling in our hole. This seemed like a good idea until we found the palates to be too big or too small or ultimately less useful. So we contemplated investing a little money into the project (aside from the very reasonable fee for the backhoe) and buy some lumber to rig up against the legs of the tramp to create our wall. We were ready to purchase a couple sheets of plywood and just attach or lean them up against the legs. It would have been reasonable but a new alternative came to the rescue. Karen's dad was getting ready to remove the wood from his cargo trailer and suggested that we could use it for our tramp. He in all of his generosity and general awesomeness not only removed the lumber and delivered it, he also cut it to size, and then attached the lumber with brackets to the legs using his own tools on his own time (which is really saying a lot since he's an electrical contractor). So now we had free lumber, and labor to help us get the job done. Unfortunately the lumber from his trailer didn't quite cover the whole job so we went and got the last little bit that was needed. Again Karen's dad helped cut, and attach it to the legs. Our project was making progress again just in time for some good weather, we hoped.

Friday night we were planning our Saturday activities and looked out the window to see rain. It seemed our backfill operation was a bust. Thankfully when we woke up we found that the sun was out and the clouds had dropped their fill rather quickly over night giving it some time with the wind to dry up a little. Karen went to an appointment first thing in the morning and I started digging. The kids had lovingly named each of the mounds that surrounded the trampoline and when they saw me cutting away at Pop-Tart Mountain and Lego Mountain they were a little put out but they joined in and started helping me move rocks, boulders, and dirt into the gaps around the tramp. This is when the aching back came back into the project. I moved a 200-300 lbs. boulder half way across our yard to fill in one of the gaps and another one of nearly the same size about half that distance. It was a good work out. By the time Karen returned from her appointment I had done about a third of the total work already. When she got back the work really started. We had about three quarters of the back fill done by 11:00 a.m. and we were ready for a break. We went to Costco to get a new wheel barrow so we could move dirt from Pop-Tart Mountain to Hot Wheel Valley without all the back strain. By 2:30 we had what you see in the following pictures. Leave your comments below.

3 tips to get your gardening on.

Phil did not see his shadow a couple of days ago and that means Spring is on the way. For green thumbs everywhere the excitement can begin. It might seem a little forward thinking given the insane amount of snow and cold across the country but this weather will pass and if you haven't been thinking green for a couple of weeks now you'll be behind the game when this mess thaws. I'm including some tips to get ready now for the impending planting season.

Get ready...get set...seed.

Image via WikipediaThere are many hardy plants that you can start in seed today and plant as soon as you can chip away the ice (ok so if there's ice don't plant...but if the soil can be dug...plant). Believe it or not that day is closer than you think. Some things to start from seed right now are broccoli, cauliflower, swiss chard, cabbage, eggplant, lettuce, onions(from seed not bulb or start), parsley, peppers, spinach (watch for hard frosts), tomatoes (seed only) and dozens of other hardy plants. Now it's important to understand that this is just starting seeds and not actually planting in your garden.

Planning makes everything easier

If you do row gardening or (my preference) Squarefoot Gardening, planning is very important. Know where, when, and how your precious seedlings will be planted. Stagger your harvest by planting at different times. Determine the space needed for your garden. When will you be able to harvest some of your garden and replant? Plan this all out while you're stuck in the house with ten foot drifts of snow at your door and you'll be that much better off when you're donning your short sleeve shirts and gardening gloves.

Infrastructure saves you from insanity

Part of planning is getting the actual space ready. This means building or developing some infrastructure. If you haven't got Squarefoot Gardens you might check out my review of "All New Squarefoot Gardening" and then go out and get some supplies. Building a garden is more than tilling up some ground in your back yard (at least it should be). If you have got a Squarefoot Garden then you are way ahead of the game. If you didn't cover and clean at the end of last season you'll need to go out and remove all the leaves and debris from your garden and you'll likely need to turn the soil a little. If you plan on growing up in your garden make sure you've got the proper trusses. If you're just starting get the book from the link above and get out before the rest of the folks out there.

Have fun.

Gardening is a family thing. If you haven't got family invite neighbor kids over to help. If you decide to do row gardening you've decided to do more work and that's fine because half the fun is spending time in the fresh air. If you've got time and a camera start a gardening blog that documents the growth of your plants. Just do something that turns your garden into more than another food source or weekend work. Finally, push winter out of your life and start thinking spring because there is a green tomorrow under all of the white today.