"You know the saying 'that'll be someone else's problem'? Well, I was the 'somebody else' today," an exasperated Reddit user wrote in the r/landscaping subreddit.
When they tried to install a shed, they noticed the previous homeowner had added layers of barriers to clearing the ground, ultimately making it impossible for new growth and for the current homeowner to install their shed.
"Turns out the previous owners had rock there originally. Instead of removing the rock, they buried it under an inch of sand, then mulched over," wrote the user. This doubled the time it took for the OP to clear the area, and now they have an "unusable" 1.5 yards of mulch, rock, and sand.
Luckily, in a turn of fate, the Reddit community where the OP aired their grievances had some helpful solutions.
One commenter suggested making a sifter out of their wheelbarrow by mounting some spare wire mesh, two-by-four lumber, screws, and a mounted reciprocating saw to the top of it.
"Just shovel it on top, run the saw for a bit, chuck the rock into a bucket and dump the soil into a pile," wrote the commenter. "It sucks but it's doable."
Another had an even simpler solution: "Water bucket. Mulch will float, rocks will sink," they suggested.
After separating the mulch, sand, and rocks, converting the landscaping materials into a native garden is incredibly easy. Rocks are great for natural weed suppression and water conservation. They also allow an ecosystem to thrive within the crevices, with small insects populating the area and welcoming needed pollinators. Of course, the soil can be reused for all sorts of natural gardening. Meanwhile, mulching drier, water-craving areas of one's yard could do wonders for injecting moisture into a natural garden.
Ultimately, multiple landscaping textures can be used to one's benefit. They can help to mobilize a pollinator oasis and offer less work and more savings in the end.
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Mowing the lawn 🏡 One commenter wrote about their own experience with separating the materials.
"I literally just went through this," they wrote. "On the plus side, I'm f****** jacked now. No need for the gym."
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