Grass removal plan--step 2

Before I took off for my international traveling circus we took the time to go hiking and do some 'homework.' I think I may have mentioned that the previous owner of our home had a fondness for velvety green grass, so much so that it was watered twice a day. I don't think it even had time to absorb all the water between watering some days. So we turned off the water and have been watching the grass languish all year (sick pleasure). We knew that we didn't want to keep up the watering and maintenance regime--we still don't own a lawnmower. So our first step was to add to the yard some things that we wanted: fruit trees and a fire pit. Then we started to plot about the front yard.

Xeriscaping seems to be the best option for the high desert--although you wouldn't guess it from a glance at our street, which is one row of green interspersed with driveways. Most of the folks on our streets have dogs or kids though, so it makes total sense to have a grassy area for play. We have neither, just a big eyesore of a dead lawn. So we rented a sod cutter (it actually ended up being 3, not the best maintained machines...) and had 4 yards of bark and 4 yards of gravel delivered. I posted online that we had free sod for pick-up that was only in need of watering, and over two days 4 or 5 different groups of people showed up to take away our rolls of half-dead grass and put it down for their dogs. It made me very very happy. For a couple of reasons, first, people were excited to take it away and create a non-dirt space and, second, it meant that at the end of the weekend I only had bits and pieces of grass that I had to pay to get rid of at the transfer station.

So we started with this:

Before.

Sod removal.

4 yards bark, 4 yards gravel

The set-up

Last year we responded to a post that listed free lava rock. We were not entirely sure what we would do with it, but we filled our truck with as much rock as we could and now almost a year later we are putting it to use. Joe also brought home some recycled 'super sacks' from work--one at least had some un-malted barley in it that has sprouted. I thought it was zombie grass (die! die!) until I pulled it out of the bark and a barley seed came up with it. Joe also brought home some nice pallets and we spent a good few hours the evening before the sod cutting taking them apart and staining the pieces.

So, free rock and pallet border, free grass removal--thank you fellow residents (even our sod-cutting rental ended up being free because of all the machinery problems).

And what we now have is this:

After.

 

Someone who worked for the city 'happened to be driving by' and knocked on the door the Monday after our epic work weekend and asked when we'd be clearing the mess. With as much politeness as I could muster I explained that we'd already cleared quite a bit and planned on getting the last of the sod and gravel off the street during the week....which is actually true, but all the same.

So, Joe moved all the gravel into the backyard (which we cookie-cutter removed sod from as well) and I loaded the sod and took it to the transfer station recycling/yard debris side, where I was met with this somewhat shocking sight:

Mountain of unwanted sod

Our offering...

I am really proud that of all of the grass that we removed all that was left fit into our little pick-up truck. It cost $4 to get rid of.

We're not total grass-haters though--I really do hope that some of our neighbors derive amusement at the new plants we got to spruce up the front-most part of the front yard:

Clumping grass

Deer-resistant!

We have other plans for the backyard, which will come as another installment, right now it's just a hodge-podge of gravel, leftover grassy space and dirt. But we received notice of a neighborhood meeting to discuss the plans for building 14 new houses across the street from our backyard, so the impetus to get to work again just got stronger.

...maintenance free?