Best way to spread top soil

[dirtydeed]

Another question about planting trees. This time in front yard. Similar to what we want to do for privacy from the back yard, we were also talking about having a screen of trees on one side of the front yard. When you sit on my front porch, you see my neighbor’s off to the right.
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View attachment 97845

Well, there are two options for you as I see it.

Options:

1) You could install a bunch of trees near the road as depicted in your picture. It would take a bit of time for them to fill in. However, I will say that your eye will seem to stop at the new tree line and you won't notice the neighbor as much. If it's really wet, that would limit you to certain varieties of trees, or you'd need to correct the situation or modify the area by raising (mounding) it.

2) You simply plant a single tree where that barberry is located off of your porch. Something like a nice Blue spruce. Slower to grow, but a real beauty. Best part is that it will only take one tree to take care of your issue. Barberries suck anyway.

If you chose the first option, keep in mind that you'd need to back them off the road a bit so you can see when pulling out and to also keep the road salt from plows off of them.

My vote would be option 2...and I've planted hundreds of "landscaping" trees for the very same purpose. The nay-sayers will tell you that the tree planted next to your porch will get too big. I say, so what? When it does, you just replace it.

 

[racerboy]

Ok. Thanks for the tidbit. I agree 100% on the barberry. The front porch was my next project (after a lean to off my shed). I hate all the cheap white plastic that my neighbor used when he built it, and I was going to update it with some timber beams and black wrought iron and was definitely getting rid of the barberry bushes he put out there.

 

[racerboy]

Question about the line of trees at bottom. Nobody ever drives up that street (we’re at the very back of the development) except the mailman (and me). But we probably get the most snow (in NJ) because we’re not too far away from High Point, and they do love to salt the roads. Is there anyway to protect trees/shrubs from the salt, like maybe putting up a fabric landscape fence in the winter?

 

[racerboy]

Oh. And back to the box blade. Is there a promo code for EA on OTT. I know some of the other forums I go to for cars/motorcycles, they often have a discount code for vendors.

 

[dirtydeed]

Question about the line of trees at bottom. Nobody ever drives up that street (we’re at the very back of the development) except the mailman (and me). But we probably get the most snow (in NJ) because we’re not too far away from High Point, and they do love to salt the roads. Is there anyway to protect trees/shrubs from the salt, like maybe putting up a fabric landscape fence in the winter?

snow fence would help. but be sure to check on set back requirements with your twp before you plant those trees. They often "own" much further into your yard than what you may think.

I don't know of any OTT discounts for EA.

 

[RCW]

I like dirtydeed's idea.

Blue Spruce are great when they're great.

Unfortunately, in my part of upstate New York they tend to get some type of decline disease. Very rarely see any good ones anymore. Neighbors took out a line of them along road couple years ago. Didn't see that 30+ years ago. Were very popular Christmas trees for years. Needles are sharp; keeps people and pets out of them....

Where dirtydeed is in PA may not be an issue. May not be an issue in N-NJ, not very far away. I've just noticed around here last 20 years or so.

 

[dirtydeed]

I like dirtydeed's idea.

Blue Spruce are great when they're great.

Unfortunately, in my part of upstate New York they tend to get some type of decline disease. Very rarely see any good ones anymore. Neighbors took out a line of them along road couple years ago. Didn't see that 30+ years ago. Were very popular Christmas trees for years. Needles are sharp; keeps people and pets out of them....

Where dirtydeed is in PA may not be an issue. May not be an issue in N-NJ, not very far away. I've just noticed around here last 20 years or so.

Substitutions are permissible

It seems like there are potential issues with just about any species of tree anymore. I used to rely heavily on douglas firs in the past...I won't even consider them now. Hemlocks are very nice and can be manicured into just about any shape that you can think of (provided that they haven't been hit by wolly adelgid). Two of my 'new" favorites are serbian and norway spruce. The former having a nice blue-green tint and more elegant (drooping) branches. Norways are really nice and quite hardy.

And yes, I've seen some issues with blue spruces as well. Some varieties fair better than others.

 

[RCW]

Norway Spruce is quite hardy around here too. 1,000’s of acres were planted in the Depression on State lands in the CCC days.

 

[Jchonline]

Another question about planting trees. This time in front yard. Similar to what we want to do for privacy from the back yard, we were also talking about having a screen of trees on one side of the front yard. When you sit on my front porch, you see my neighbor’s shop to the right.
View attachment 97844
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Personally in the front yard I would go for a more natural /random spacing that a wall of trees, but it will work. The mistake many make is planting the trees too close together. Verify full size canopy diameter and plant based on that. You can also stagger them to compensate for the gaps between each When They are mid growth. Get trees that grow faster or you will be dead before they are large enough to cover the area.

 

[hagrid]

Best way to spread top soil

For even distribution and the greatest range use explosives.

 

[racerboy]

Personally in the front yard I would go for a more natural /random spacing that a wall of trees, but it will work. The mistake many make is planting the trees too close together. Verify full size canopy diameter and plant based on that. You can also stagger them to compensate for the gaps between each When They are mid growth. Get trees that grow faster or you will be dead before they are large enough to cover the area.

Ok. Thanks. If I go that route I would buy the bigger trees to start with (6-8ft). They cost more, but like you said I want to be able to block the view sooner than later. Lol

I started working on a backhoe dolly today. Still need to add the casters and bolt everything together. Plan on finishing it tomorrow. Then im goingremove backhoe forfirst time and put on my Heavy Hitch and my Quick Hitch.

 

[The Evil Twin]

I like dirtydeed's idea.

Blue Spruce are great when they're great.

Unfortunately, in my part of upstate New York they tend to get some type of decline disease. Very rarely see any good ones anymore. Neighbors took out a line of them along road couple years ago. Didn't see that 30+ years ago. Were very popular Christmas trees for years. Needles are sharp; keeps people and pets out of them....

Where dirtydeed is in PA may not be an issue. May not be an issue in N-NJ, not very far away. I've just noticed around here last 20 years or so.

Pine weevils. They are as far south as western Virginia. They got ours last year. Fortunately I was able to clip the top off below their burrow. We grew that thing from a sapling that our daughter got on earth day in elementary school 15 years ago.

 

[racerboy]

I worked some more on that dolly today. I should start out by saying I know nothing about working with wood. I noticed that when I bolted the three 2x6 together, they didn’t come out very flat. I used a cheap Harbor Freight plane to try and make a level surface across the theee joined pieces of wood. My question is that is this the type of situation where you would typically use a belt sander or an electric hand-held planer? Here are some pics to show before and after with cheap HF planer.

 

[racerboy]

Forgot the after shot

 

[racerboy]

Forgot the after shot

This shows my bad woodworking that I’m trying to fix. I realize this is just a dolly for a backhoe but I’m using it as an opportunity to try and learn.

 

[RCW]

This shows my bad woodworking that I’m trying to fix. I realize this is just a dolly for a backhoe but I’m using it as an opportunity to try and learn.
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Racer -

I don’t know the backhoe dolly plan you’re working from.

Only guessing that your backhoe could care less if your laminated 4.5x4.5 is off 1/8” in its profile when you build your dolly.

Especially pressure treated lumber is off a little in many aspects imho. Often hard to find straight ones.

 

[racerboy]

Thanks RCW. I found a YouTube video of a farmer who has the came tractor/bh as me and was following his lead. I think he originally got his idea from a video called ‘DIY MyWay’. I really am ‘the worst’ when it comes to working on wood projects.

 

[dirtydeed]

Its all about crowns and cups. Your backhoe wont care though.

Here's an easier "build"...

 

[GreensvilleJay]

fwiw....
the right 2by6 in post #75, should have gone the other way.....
if you'd screwed 2 together ,then the 3rd, they'd be square and level PROVIDING they were all milled at the same time.....
German master timber framer taught me lots of tricks of the trade .......

 

[racerboy]

fwiw....
the right 2by6 in post #75, should have gone the other way.....
if you'd screwed 2 together ,then the 3rd, they'd be square and level PROVIDING they were all milled at the same time.....
German master timber framer taught me lots of tricks of the trade .......

Is that because of the grain or because of the way it is bowed?

good tip on bolting the multiple 2x6 together. I’ll remember that for next time.