Running out of cardboard.

So some of my giddy up and go came back today for a visit.  The last three elderberry bushes got planted.  That was two holes dug with the mattock because of roots, and one dug with a shovel.

The plants that have been in the ground for a while now are definitely looking better and perking up.  

I went to do the last hole, for the camellia, and ran into a root that the mattock just could not go through.  It's not an ax.  Well, it has an ax blade side.  But the ax blade side had a chunk out of it when it came to me.  And the guy who sharpened it repaired it but you lose some of the edge and angle when you fix that big of a chunk.  An ax, or two, and a few other tools are still on the "get" list.

Either way, after fighting with it for a bit, the body was done.  Tomorrow I'll take out the sawzall with the pruning blade and handle the problem  Yes, cutting soil will toast the blade, but that blade is just about done already.

I wasn't quite ready to quit.  The body was actually pretty happy to be moving again, even if it didn't want to do anymore digging.  

So I started the next step.  With only one hole left to dig, I could start putting cardboard down.  I had a monster pile of cardboard, but it isn't enough.  I still have some pieces that didn't go down, because the body did finally declare a stop.  I'll grab that stuff tomorrow, after I finish the camellia planting.

From this point on it actually goes really fast for most of this garden bed.  Maybe.

I think I'm going to go ahead and do the one foot wide section for asparagus and fall blooming crocus.  It's easier to cover up an accident tilling up too much area than it is to cover up accidentally sending the mattock through mulch, landscape cloth, and cardboard layers.

Doing the one foot wide section won't be fast, depending on what is underneath.  It all depends on where the roots for the maple tree go through.  And how many more random shrubbery and sweet autumn clematis root bundles I'm going to find.

Fingers crossed, and if the giddy up and go sticks around, I might have that part done this week.