BORDERS FOR THE GARDEN
Clever ways to manage the spaces between your crops, including dirt paths, mulch, grass pathways, sheet composting, edgings, bearwallow beds.
PATH OF LEAST RESISTANCE
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Clever ways to manage the spaces between your
crops.
By Susan Sides
©BROWNIE HARRIS
Susan and Franklin Sides (and little Walker) with
the Bearwallow Beds described in the article.
Gardeners often treat their growing areas as almost sacred
soil, while ignoring the earth directly underfoot—the
pathways. We put so much energy into tending our crops and
flowers that the spaces between the beds are mostly
forgotten. But then one day we suddenly realize that we're
forced to spend more time weeding the pathways than the
crops. Or we get fed up with walkways that become
as slick as boiled okra every time it rains. Or we pull
another clump of tough-rooted grass and wonder if there's
any way to keep that aisle cover from invading the
asparagus.
Sound familiar? If your paths lead to similar toils and
troubles, it's time you took a better look at just where
you stand in your own garden. Everyone wants
low-maintenance walkways that look good and make getting
around pleasant and efficient. The ideas offered here can
help you have them.
One note: Many of my techniques apply better to gardens
with beds (wide growing areas) than to those devoted to row
crops. Another note: Whatever pathway panacea you prefer,
make sure the paths themselves are wide enough to handle
the jobs you need to do. If you can't bring in a garden
cart without crushing your lettuce or can't weed the
tomatoes without sitting on the beans, you need wider paths
(18 inches is narrow, 36 is wide). You may even want to
work out an artful combination of different-sized pathways
to use space most effectively.
Dirt Paths
Pathways with unusually poor soil or heavy foot traffic may
sprout so few weeds they can be left as is. (That's rarely
been my luck.) If too many unwanted plants do shoot up, you
can chop them off with a hoe. Better yet, sharpen the edge
of a flat-faced spade, run it just under the soil surface
when the earth isn't wet, and skim off the weeds.
Skimming's not too difficult, and the results are clean
lines with that well-manicured look.
If too much rainwater runs into your beds from the
pathways, try working on the aisles once in a while during
the wet season. Push a heavy garden fork about two-thirds
of the way into the soil, and wiggle it to create air
spaces. Repeat the process every six to 12 inches. (Either
that or redesign your garden so pathway rivulets run
through and out of the plot.)
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