I planted these though I think they might be dead!

It took several weeks with a lot of planning on how to get these planted, but in the end, I really think they might be dead. That's okay though since I put them right next to my rock garden. Note my rock garden next to my seriously covered wood pile across from what I planted.
Yep, I planted 32 railroad cross ties. It should have been 36 but I was shorted 4 on the order. They never did make it right!


This is what it looked like in October of last year after some 18 inches of rain.


And this one shows what it kind of looked like before.

That took a lot of digging and moving dirt (mostly wet clay). Then pulling, tugging, pushing. even biting those cross ties to get them in place. Just kidding on the biting! Then drilling pilot holes for the rebar and using a sledge hammer to drive them home. To finish the job, I'm considering swiping 4 cross ties from my driveway (I'm thinking about closing off that section anyway) and using them to finish the job.

 

Each course of cross ties were set back an inch and a half. The ones I had to cut, I used the PP4620. The total length of that wall is about 84 feet.

And no, I didn't have help, nor was any desired. I know my neighbors were looking, some driving by to see what they could see, and one viewing from the next yard. My part time neighbor calls me the Bionic Woman with everything I do and all the hardware stuck in me. But I just do what needs to be done.

I suppose I should finally stick in a picture of me so y'all don't think I'm some Amazon.

This one was taken about 7 years ago within a month after my back surgery. I had walked three and a half miles up to the Roanoke Star from where I was living at the time so I'm all sweaty, but happy. 25% use of my legs was better than none by a long shot. I was wearing the back brace which you can see peaking out from under the vest. (white)

 

Awesome job on the railroad ties. I happen to know how heavy those can be so Campinspecter and I don't use them anymore. We have done our share of hauling them around. Living in a community with a railroad we were always able to get our hands on used ties so we built a foundation for a garage, an airplane hanger and raised garden beds.

 

Hate to tell you this but none of those species are going to grow! Railroad ties (dead) and rocks (rock garden)!

 

Been there, done that (all of it - at my old place). No fun, but a whole lot of exercise and the end result is worth it. Now you just gotta find the right shrubs for back behind the dead stuff.

Looks like you did a great job - it looks really nice and I'm sure the deer appreciate you sprucing up their are for them .

 

I don't know, around here rocks multiply like rabbits

 

Awesome job on the wall. Make sure to keep a eye on that woodpile to make sure there is no condensation build up under that plastic. You ARE the bionic lady......................

 

You NEED creeping phlox to trail down that wall - that would look so awesome!

 

What? The phlox!

 

The picture was only intended to show my size and so that some on FHC could get a general idea of what I look like. The majority of the pictures I do have where I'm in them were candid shots since I'm not too fond of having my picture taken. One day though, I will show a decent picture of myself. It's just a matter of time!

 

Oh poop, now I think I'm going to be sad.

 

It might take some time to decide on the shrubs, but I do think the Creeping Phlox would work well. I'll have to check the local nurseries and see what they have. Thanks for the really good ideas!

 

And I have proof! I took a picture of two of them that managed to get together for one of those romantic interludes. See what happened! All those rocks in my rock garden came from them!

 

I have been keeping a close eye on the wood piles in the picture for any kind of condensation. There was a little at the beginning of Winter, but that's been it. Even with all the rain and cooler temperatures this area is having now, there hasn't been any. I do have four air vents near the top on each side to help with air flow through the piles. Once the rain quits, I'll have to pull a few splits, split them again and see what the moisture content is. If it's 15% or lower, I may just leave them covered like that. One of the stacks (there are 2 under the plastic and the tarp) will be used for the next heating season. The reason I covered them completely like that was because of the constant rains. Adding the vents is an attempt to keep the moisture from being drawn up into the piles. I also dug a shallow ditch around the piles to help divert any rainwater away. In a way it's almost like having the wood in a shed. Those stacks will be 4 years old for the next heating season.

And thanks for the compliments!

 

Glad to help. Here is a pic from my old life in 2008. I planted the creeping phlox under the railroad ties (that is a path of thyme and some other ground covers between ties and the phlox). That is about 80 from the road and about 20 feet up on the hill.