My weeds were plenty tall when I mowed the back 40 this evening. Just in time for rain to grow it all tall again. It sprinkled a little on a walk with the dogs later, and now thunder. But the yard needs it, especially because I'm moving dirt from in back to the front (I'm putting in a small berm) one wheelbarrow at a time. It has gotten pretty hard lately and needs the rain to soften it for removal. I'm also planning to build a low wall in front of the berm (this is actually a traffic control thing, something to slow down anyone who might miss the turn at the street that intersects my street and end up on my lawn or heading toward the house). Hasn't happened yet, but I don't want it to ever happen. The wall will be (hopefully, depending on what I learn about building walls before I do it) high enough to be comfortable to sit on, or maybe place a few pots. The berm behind it will slope gradually back toward the house and will have something low on it. I don't want to create something that blocks the view of the house (for security reasons).

I've also planted a tree out there but after four years it appears that it isn't thriving. I may take it out and put in something else, but at any rate, it will take a tree a long time to be big enough to stop a car.

Anyone else do defensive gardening like this?

SRS