Help my yard pretty please!

JennyQ1985

Hi ladies, I do not normally post here so I am sorry to intrude but I really need some help.

We recently had a patio installed in our backyard.  To save some money, we had a family member do the work for us.  It was fine, it came out great but he did not have the equipment or resources needed to properly dispose of the dirt that was dug up.  Our landscapers wanted a ridiculous amount of  money to prep the area so we just found creative ways to reuse it. 

We live on the corner and our block is on a bit of a hill, so at the end of our lawn there is a dip.  We put all the dirt that was dug up there with the idea of pounding it down and topping it off with sod so that it makes the ground even.

Well we have not had a chance to do anything with it because when we tried, a lot of it was still hard as a rock.  I am very embarrassed to admit we practically have a forest growing back there now.  The weeds that have sprouted from this thing are unbelievable. (thanks a lot torrential rainfall!)

My little cousin is coming to spend the weekend by us to help us take care of this but we are so worried that this is going to be a big b*tch and we won't be able to do what we want.

Please help!  We clearly have no idea what we are doing.  Is there some super duper weed killer you would recommend? Any special tools you could recommend?

Any help is greatly appreciated!

 Thanks for reading & TIA for any suggestions.

~NB~

JennyQ1985:

..."idea of pounding it down and topping it off with sod so that it makes the ground even." Sounds like a good idea to me.

..."it was still hard as a rock." Still? Don't expect it to soften anytime soon. It would take years.

..."we are so worried that this is going to be a big b*tch..." Yes, it will be backbreaking labor.

We clearly have no idea what we are doing.  Is there some super duper weed killer you would recommend? Glyphosate will be fine.

"Any special tools you could recommend?" Mattocks, shovels, rigid rakes, wheelbarrows and gloves.

"TIA for any suggestions." Quit complaining and get to work- and I mean that in an encouraging way; I'm not trying to sound harsh. The sooner you begin, the sooner you can close this book. I'm just telling you straight, this is a hard job. You can hire someone and complain about the cost, or you can DIY and complain about how strenuous it is; either way you just waste time and you still have the same problem.

I'm right there with you- renovating my own backyard, so I understand the frustration you feel (esp. with contractors).

 

JennyQ1985

Thanks for the suggestions!

I know it is going to be backbreaking labor, I am just annoyed this still is not done.  We have crazy busy schedules and the one weekend we had to try this, we tried and gave up right away because *I* would literally break my back as I have a lot of back issues.  I am of the mentality that it NEEDS to be done this weekend though.  If not, I am seriously going to have to go hire some day laborers to take care of this even though we really don't have the money for it.

Hey Jellisy

Could have have fresh topsoil brought in to go over the uneven dirt and then sod it?  I don't know how much it would cost, you would have to call your garden center, but it would eliminate the back breaking part and likely not be that expensive.  Regardless of what you do, I wouldn't sod till you killed all the weeds.  You could cover in black plastic for two weeks or pour boiling water on them if you are looking for more immediate results without using chemicals.     

JennyQ1985

Hey Jellisy:

Could have have fresh topsoil brought in to go over the uneven dirt and then sod it?  I don't know how much it would cost, you would have to call your garden center, but it would eliminate the back breaking part and likely not be that expensive.  Regardless of what you do, I wouldn't sod till you killed all the weeds.  You could cover in black plastic for two weeks or pour boiling water on them if you are looking for more immediate results without using chemicals.     

there are lumps that need to be pounded down and we definitely know we need to remove the weeds before placing sod over it.

 

never heard the boiling water drink, i will definitely give that a try.

thanks so much!