Back last June I started working on what I called my secret garden. Around it on two sides I had made a fence out of tree poles. Then I began bringing excess rocks to create a low rock wall within the pole fence.
Over the months I've gradually moved rocks that I "harvested" from other projects....community garden, digging holes in the orchard for more trees, opening up new spots for gardens.
Now I'm up to a bit over 100' either completed are almost completed. There is still quite a bit to go. My goal is not to make a rockwall, but to have a pretty to look at rock storage area. As a plus it defines the perimeter for the secret garden. So there's really no hurry to finish this wall. But it's a great place to store my extra rocks!
Why do I like to think of this as rock storage, rather than a rock wall? That way if I really need rocks in a hurry for some project, I won't feel guilty stealing them from this wall. Just a mind game, but it will keep me happy if I end up stealing rocks from it now and again.
By the way, the wall currently us being made about 18" thick at the base, 12" at the top. Once the length of the wall is completed, I could simply add rocks to the back wall, making the wall thicker. A way to use those excess rocks I accumulate.
This photos, above and below, are quite shady and difficult to make out, but you should be able to see that the wall is over 100' long as of today.
I'd reckon you've lifted each of those rocks at least 6 times, using at least 10 rocks per running foot of wall. That comes to 6,000 rock-lifts for the 100 ft of wall. Say the average weight of each rock is 20 lbs (more or less). Your wall represents 120,000 lift-pounds of effort, or 60 TONS lifted! I've left out the height/distance factors, but I got tired just imagining kCals expended, or the joules of potential energy in that creation. And that wall shows a very pleasing interlock with level top row - now, that's MANA!
ReplyDeleteMy rock storage is a path and bank on the west side of the house. It serves as my strawberry bed. The plants are happy between the rocks and the berries don't get on the dirt. Not much room for weeds. The cat sleeps on the big rocks which keeps the birds away. Eventually I will get the pictures of it up on permies.com Qberry Farm
ReplyDeleteOh Barry, I never thought along those lines. No wonder my elbows and hands get tired. That's a lot of weight I'm slinging around!
ReplyDeleteHans, I love that idea for the strawberries. If you don't mind, I'm going to steal it to make a strawberry bed.