How One Man Built and Maintains His Dream Back Yard
(StatePoint)For as long as he can remember, Joe Thomas has lived to hunt and fish.
But as much as the legendary bass angler, author and outdoor media personality loves being out in the woods or on his boat, he knows this one thing is true: the grass on his property never stops growing.
This is the story of how and why Thomas built his dream yard, along with his secrets for keeping it in great shape.
The Inspiration
Thomas’s property used to be a cornfield, and years before he and his family ever lived there, he would look out at that open ground and think what a cool place it’d be to build a house. And that’s exactly what he did. He started with six acres and, as the budget allowed, kept adding on over the years until it grew to 40 acres.
A Bass Pond in the Backyard
Ask Thomas to name his favorite part of the property and he doesn’t have to think about it—it’s the bass pond. Fishing for a living doesn’t stop him from wandering down to the dock and firing off a few casts whenever the mood strikes. Some days, he’ll slide the little pond boat in and paddle around instead. Having his own water right in the backyard has always meant a lot to him.
A Yard Without Fences
It’s no accident that there are no fences on the property. Thomas grew up in your typical suburban neighborhood, where every yard was boxed off from the next. He decided that if he ever got out of the city and built his own place, he’d skip fences altogether. He’s held to that policy ever since—and he’s convinced it’s a big reason the property looks as good as it does.
Two Trails, Two Worlds
Two main trails tie most of the property together, each one running a half to three-quarters of a mile long. The first heads down through the woods. Getting it there took chainsaw work and cleanup to open a path that wraps the whole wooded edge of the property.
Thomas’s wife added a bench, so they’d have a spot to sit and kick back whenever they wander down. The second trail cuts through a Conservation Reserve Program field—a natural habitat that makes great bedding for wildlife—and he uses an Exmark mower to maintain a path running the far perimeter.
Mowing in a hurry
Cutting 4.2 acres every week is a monumental task. And Thomas travels a lot, so things have to get done fast. He found that out the hard way. When he first moved in, he took on the whole place with a tractor—in sessions that lasted eight hours and fifteen minutes, stopping only to top off the gas.
Now, with a 60-inch deck on his Lazer Z zero-turn mower from Exmark, a job that used to swallow an entire day gets knocked out in a fraction of the time. “Game changer” is an understatement.
At the end of the day, Thomas will tell you his dream yard is really just a reflection of how his family lives. They hunt, they fish, they chase shed antlers, and his daughter’s an avid birder. If you can do it outdoors, chances are they’re doing it. This property is where they find their value.
To learn more about Thomas’s vision, visit Exmark’s Backyard Life site, a unique multimedia destination with a focus on helping homeowners make meaningful improvements to their outdoor living experience. The site’s new “Dream Yards” original series offers more inspiring, personal stories about creating the perfect outdoor experience on one’s property.
