A New Stone Yard, Part 1
A big outdoor project is underway at my Bedford, New York farm.
One area of the farm is designated as my stone yard, a place where extra inventory of the many types of stones used at the farm are kept - slate shingles, marble flooring, granite posts, etc. Recently, I decided the space, which is located outside my vegetable garden and across the carriage road from my citrus greenhouse, would be better suited for something else, so I decided to move the stone yard a few feet away in a corner of one of the horse paddocks, where all the materials could be more organized and tidy. In order to do this, fencing had to be removed and reconstructed, posts had to be repositioned, and the area had to be prepped for stacking thousands of pounds of stone.
Here are some photos of the first phase of this multiple-step process, enjoy.
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- The pasture fencing is made from 100-year-old white spruce railings. I purchased all the antique railings from Canada. So many of you have commented on how much you love these fences that surround all my paddocks here at the farm – I love them too.
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- This is the current stone yard, where I keep all kinds of stone for jobs around the farm. Over the years, the area has gotten a bit messy, but soon, everything will be neatly stacked in organized sections.
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- This corner was part of the paddock, so Fernando and Pete had to remove the fencing to make space for the stone, but don’t worry, there is plenty of room for my dear Friesians, Fell pony and donkeys.
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- Once the posts are removed from the ground, the antique horizontal railings are carefully placed to the side – many of the pieces will be re-connected, while others will be stored away or future use.
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- Here is the area now completely empty.
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- Fernando begins making holes for the new posts, enclosing the paddock again, leaving the corner open for the new stone yard.
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- Here are the new upright fence posts – all the same size and height.
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- Pete returns the antique horizontal supports and attaches them to the new posts on the inside of the fence.
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- Next, Pete uses mason’s twine to mark the area for the new stone yard.
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- I instructed the team to put down industrial strength weed cloth to prevent grass and any unwanted weeds from growing in the space.
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- Pete cuts the weed cloth to size, making sure all the edges are perfectly straight.
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- Fernando unrolls another long sheet of weed cloth to cover the next section.
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- I wanted the weed cloth to be double-layered, first in one direction and then in the other.
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- Fernando uses garden sod staples to keep the cloth secure to the ground.
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- These staples are so helpful for so many different jobs. They are available at nurseries, garden centers, and hardware stores.
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- Fernando begins digging holes for the other side of fence posts.
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- This fence is supported on the outside and the inside of the fence, to ensure the enclosure is secure.
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- Here’s Pete screwing in the post from the opposite side.
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- The attached post is then cut at a slight angle at the top.
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- Soil is backfilled into the hole and the fence is done.
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- The new stone yard will look great when complete. Next, we will cover the area in two inches of bluestone gravel and then move all the stones in carefully. Stay tuned.
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