DIY Soil Screen

I have some time off right now and thought it would be a good idea to start the Fairy Garden. It’s not going to be as easy as I thought. Mostly because I am me.

The area we have chosen is out back, behind the spot where the old family blacksmith/livery stable used to be. Something could be buried there, an old tool maybe! Could I really just garden on top of it without checking?

I could but then all those sleepless night thinking about it…thinking I covered up old family treasures. It was tempting. Could I?

I wanted to. Did I? No…I have to dig.

Then there was another problem. I have to design it. Not being much of a landscaper, I pondered on it a while. Then thought…look at all this time I am wasting on this. I could be out there. Who needs to design anyway? I’ll just wing it! Go me!

I get out there and find a slope that just doesn’t work with what I have in mind. Hmm…I see an old rail way tie. I’ll just put it on an angle, fill it in with soil. Have you ever moved a railway tie? Holy crap they are heavy. Okay, DRAG, a railway tie. Then I noticed there was no way I was going to fill all that space with my good soil. I grabbed a bunch of brush, garden debris, fill it almost full. (It will turn into mulch in time) Cover it in the weed barrier, throw soil on top. I’m not too worried about this part because we won’t be walking on it. It won’t be growing anything. It’s more or less going to be a backdrop. Maybe a mid-size fairy house, bits of carved things, moss, stones…

Now for the soil. I start digging and find it is full of stones, nails, broken bits of who knows what!

I NEED A SOIL SCREEN! I don’t have one. I do have a bit of lumber. Maybe I could build a quick one. Grab the drill, the battery is dead. Think about it for a bit. I don’t really want to use that lumber for it, I have plans for that lumber this week-end. Don’t really want to go anywhere to get more.

I know, I’ll use an old picture frame. Run upstairs, grab it. Look at it. It is ugly. BUT, it is also an antique. Bring it down. Look at it again. Crap! I just can’t do it. Run around the house. There has to be something I can use! I don’t want to wait, I want to do it now! Something temporary, I’ll build a real one later. Then I see it!

Ah ha! The laundry bag! I don’t even use it!

I don’t have the proper screen, but I do have some plastic stuff. It will do in a pinch. Time is going by, let’s get this happening! Cut the screen, grab my other favorite tool. This is by far the BEST stapler ever! I find the other staplers hard to use. This is not awkward, so easy! A stapler after my own heart!

You press the handle at the front! A genius thought of that. I bet it was a woman! LOL!

Staple the mesh on to the laundry frame:

Grab a piece of board to throw on the ground:

Sift through for treasures:

Okay, no treasures. I found enough nails to get over my excitement of finding them anymore!

But just look at that soil!

I will eventually build a proper one like this handy tutorial from HammerZone.

My husband wants one like this from the My Tractor Forum (post number three, minus the tractor, because we don’t have one. He wants it on that angle. You whip the soil through it). That’s great for someone with arms like logs! He said it’s a better way. I just can’t imagine having to whip every shovel full through the screen every few seconds. I don’t have the strength or energy. It is cool though. Just not for me!

Sometimes, it’s hard being me…