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Entry Date
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Location
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Tuesday, March 31, 2026
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TowneFamilyVT
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Vermont
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Entry 9 of 10 |
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The Sod Slog
This weekend I spent two days removing 750sqft of sod. The patch transformation has begun. Two inches deep, completely saturated from a wet Vermont spring. Rough estimate somewhere around 6,000 lbs moved twice; once into the wheelbarrow, once out as fill. My back knows all about it.
There's actually a practical reason beyond just clearing the ground. My soil test came back showing Pratylenchus lesion nematodes at levels worth paying attention to. My guess is they are concentrated heavily in the top couple inches of soil where the sod root mat is thickest. The clear plastic I've had over the patch the last two weeks brought soil temperatures up to 60 degrees, so I'm hoping they woke up and started migrating into the top couple inches. Pulling that layer out physically removes a big chunk of the population before it will ever see my pumpkin roots. No chemistry needed yet, just a lot of trips with the wheelbarrow. I also didn't want the sod breaking down in place, as it robs nitrogen from the soil.
A lot of heavy lifting still ahead. 5 yards of compost being delivered next week.
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