Ahhhh .. dirt!

I have recently moved from a townhouse to a house. For the first time in 7 years I am able to move from container gardening to a YARD! And this yard has dirt! Dirt is like gold to me .. you see I come from the Big Island of Hawai'i. You might have pictures in your mind of the lush forests, and miles of tropical plants .. but let me share my experience.

When I moved from Honolulu to the Big Island, I was so excited because the house I rented was surrounded by weeds at least 2 feet tall . I could see myself creating my own lush tropical paradise, with a few roses thrown in.

Unpacking finally finished, garden tools purchased, I headed outside. The mental picture I had of my garden had grown. Now there was a veggie garden area, a meditation garden with a water feature, a rose garden and of course the tropical lushness. First I had to clear those weeds. Taking shovel in hand I started to dig. Foot on the shovel, I was met with a clang that jarred my arms. Darn rocks I muttered. I tried a foot over. Again that jarring clang. After a few more attempts, I realized that those tall weeds were growing in a few inches of soil. Underneath was hard lava rock. I moved to another area of the yard and found the same thing. As disappointment flooded me, I heard a truck coming down the road, and for a moment it looked like it was filled with gold -- it was dirt, dark rich, black dirt.

Yes, dirt is like gold on the east side of the Big Island, and after mowing the weeds, I bought 3 truckloads of it and it still wasn't enough to create what I wanted! My vision changed, and my roses were in containers, and most of the yard became lawn.