Bramblestone Wall

As we built this house, barn, pastures, etc.; we found so many stones (more like boulders) that we named the place Bramblestone Farm (see The Bramblestone Farm Story).  Today, I’m happy to say that we put those stones to good use (you know, if you get lemons, make lemonade – well, we got stones, so we made a wall).

The first picture to the right shows the side view of the finished dry-stacked stone wall – it’s four feet high by one hundred and twenty feet long, and it’s holding back what was once a nasty bank.

The second picture to the right shows more of a top view of the right side of the wall (there are steps in the middle).  It’s taken a long time to collect and use all those stones, but the result rocks 🙂

And the best thing is, there’s a garden planting area behind the wall!  This area is right below the patio, so it’s a few minutes from the kitchen – as opposed to the main garden which is a long walk down the hill.  I’m planning to grow greens and root crops in this area and hope the rocks will help warm this area earlier and later in the season.

Also, I think we’ll plant a few fruit trees directly in front of the wall; the deciduous fruit trees should shade the greens during the summer heat, and we’ll be able to pick the fruit from the wall.

I’ve always admired walls like this that you might see at big estates, but knew that we’d never be able to afford one – well, now we have our own gorgeous stone wall – I’m envious of myself!