Boy, was I wrong about that.
When I tore off the tarp to get started with my yard plans this month, I found that nearly the entire pile of remaining topsoil mix was riddled through with roots.
One culprit with major evidence to indict: the stand of reeds that are growing along the south property line, back in that back corner of the property. I like their screening capabilities to separate me from the backyard of the apartment house next door, but I should also acknowledge their invasive tendencies:
Given that I needed to get moving on some of my yardwork and not wanting this to go to waste, I tried a few wheelbarrow loads where I'd pull out by hand the clumps and long strands of roots.
And this was, of course, of limited effectiveness. I hoped that spreading this soil with the garden rake would help me get out more of the roots. This, too, proved insufficient.
So I built myself a soil sifter. Mind you, I'm not all that great a woodworker, with limited experience in carpentry. But I must say I produced a very serviceable product:
It was pretty darned good at sorting out most of the roots and the hard dirt clumps and the few rocks in my topsoil pile:
I am gradually filling in and building up the area known as the grove, and I felt better about using this screened soil to help me do that.
Friday Update: As of this evening, I've now shoveled, sifted, screened, and moved just about all of that old pile that I can. I've now knocked down what remains, covered it with the old tarp, and plan to have a fresh new load of topsoil delivered pronto.
