So I'm planning 2012, and one thing is driving me nuts... - Page 2

TeamTeke · October 12, 2011

The procedure is very safe and slow to happen. No chips should fly. Your assumption is correct. Be sure to rent a hammer drill that is up to the task of drilling in rock.

ScottinAtlanta · October 12, 2011

Another option is to use a come-along - can move massive weights with relatively little effort, and it is cheap.

Raffles · October 12, 2011

You might also be able to just dig a deeper hole next to the rock and push it in.

I was going to do that a few years back but the rock turned out to be much bigger that expected.

I learned to live with the thing after that.

lakelady · October 12, 2011

oh this rock barely budges with a steel bar under if for a lever...that's with me and my 18 year old 6'2 son, who's strong and young

. I'm strong, but not so young ! I thought about the come along too, but then found out my neighbor with the glass eye actually lost his eye 4 years ago when a come along line snapped and hit him. (He was a landscape architect that did historical restorations, now retired). That pretty much scared me now from using one.

Most people would say leave the rock alone. But nope, not me. I need a bigger veggie garden, and it has to be in that spot (not a lot of sunny spots in my tree shaded yard). So the rock must go. I'll look into the hammer and filler that will help split that rock in two. Once split, we can move each half more easily. THANK YOU!!!

ScottinAtlanta · October 13, 2011

Just get a come along big enough for the job and you will be fine.

dice · October 14, 2011

Old-style manual rock drilling:
http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/...602/page01.htm

This would take forever, of course, but even if you drill holes with a
hammer-drill and diamond bits, feathers and wedges could still be
used to split the rock. (I watched someone do it once on This Old
House.) This would be an alternative to the expansion chemicals.

I looked up diamond bits once for someone that was building self-watering
containers out of terra cotta roof tiles and needed drainage holes:
http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...its#post154923

(The faster way was to put a piece of round stick into the mortar joints
between tiles at the height where one wanted drainage holes and drill
them out after the mortar sets up.)

tomakers · October 14, 2011

Quote:

Originally Posted by Raffles

You might also be able to just dig a deeper hole next to the rock and push it in.

I was going to do that a few years back but the rock turned out to be much bigger that expected.

I learned to live with the thing after that.

Many years ago they would just BLAST it (I can remember when you could buy dynamite and blasting caps at the grain/hardware store). The other trick is to keep digging under it until it is deep enough to be no bother. This is how many farmers "cleared" their land. Not saying this is an easy task, and you have to be careful, but it can be done. Today there are many small backhoes (available for rent) that could accomplish this task, if you don't want to dig that much.
PS - the local name for the area I live in is Rock Village, and it ain't for the music.
Happy excavating,
Tom

Sundrops · October 14, 2011

Serious case of OCD.

Sounds just like me!

Quote:

Originally Posted by Elizabeth

LOL - 3' in a couple of months. I planted them under lights in mid August, potted up to 4" about Aug 25, then before I could get them all planted out to permanent pots scooted off to the Heirloom Exposition a couple of weeks ago. I swear they shot up a foot the week I was gone!

I know all about the "plan" thing. I'm kinda obsessive when it comes to that - I have spreadsheets galore. I have one that is an inventory of all my seed varieties that includes everything from botanical names (handy for rotation) to good/bad companions, and everything in between. I have a value I enter for each month 0.1=start inside, 1= good to plant, 2 = ok to plant, 3=don't plant so I can sort the spreadsheet to see what I could be planting each month. Right now I'm working on my garden rotation plan for the next 4 years. Colors for each family, # of beds for a given family based on what I want each year (80 beets, 32 kohlrabi, 15 tomato plants...), length of time in the ground, root depth, heavy/light feeder, susceptible to RKN, Resistant to RKN, yadda yadda... I have 15 beds that are 12 sq ft (weird dimensions I know) and a 8' x4' bed and I'm trying to fit as many veg as I can in there for year around growing, while on a long rotation schedule. I have groups of pots and sections of the landscape suitable for veg on there too. Color coding is my friend!

lakelady · October 14, 2011

Hmmm...this rock thing is getting complicated ! I can't fit any type of equipment into this part of my yard at all. No backhoe or digger. It's a small plot, there's a drop on one side, and a wall on the other (most of my property is multilevel terraces made of natural stones). All I want is a bigger garden

. The suggestions are all great, I'll have to give some thought. I'll try to take a pic this weekend and show you what it looks like over there so you can see the challenge. If anyone wants to come over and get a really, really good workout (please be sure your heart is healthy first!)..you are more than welcome! ha!

October 14, 2011	#21
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	Old-style manual rock drilling: http://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/...602/page01.htm This would take forever, of course, but even if you drill holes with a hammer-drill and diamond bits, feathers and wedges could still be used to split the rock. (I watched someone do it once on This Old House.) This would be an alternative to the expansion chemicals. I looked up diamond bits once for someone that was building self-watering containers out of terra cotta roof tiles and needed drainage holes: http://www.tomatoville.com/showthrea...its#post154923 (The faster way was to put a piece of round stick into the mortar joints between tiles at the height where one wanted drainage holes and drill them out after the mortar sets up.) __________________ -- alias

October 12, 2011	#16
TeamTeke Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2010 Location: Silverthorne, CO &Fl Keys Posts: 13	The procedure is very safe and slow to happen. No chips should fly. Your assumption is correct. Be sure to rent a hammer drill that is up to the task of drilling in rock.

October 12, 2011	#17
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Another option is to use a come-along - can move massive weights with relatively little effort, and it is cheap.

October 12, 2011	#18
Raffles Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Northern Vermont Posts: 700	You might also be able to just dig a deeper hole next to the rock and push it in. I was going to do that a few years back but the rock turned out to be much bigger that expected. I learned to live with the thing after that.

October 12, 2011	#19
lakelady Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Aug 2011 Location: northern NJ zone 6b Posts: 1,862	oh this rock barely budges with a steel bar under if for a lever...that's with me and my 18 year old 6'2 son, who's strong and young . I'm strong, but not so young ! I thought about the come along too, but then found out my neighbor with the glass eye actually lost his eye 4 years ago when a come along line snapped and hit him. (He was a landscape architect that did historical restorations, now retired). That pretty much scared me now from using one. Most people would say leave the rock alone. But nope, not me. I need a bigger veggie garden, and it has to be in that spot (not a lot of sunny spots in my tree shaded yard). So the rock must go. I'll look into the hammer and filler that will help split that rock in two. Once split, we can move each half more easily. THANK YOU!!!

October 13, 2011	#20
ScottinAtlanta Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jul 2011 Location: Atlanta, Georgia Posts: 2,593	Just get a come along big enough for the job and you will be fine.