Useful Yard

I formalized a path in the front yard, using two 10-foot pieces of steel that are three-inches high. This pathway had been lined with long branches from a neighbor’s apple tree and was nothing more than dirt and weeds. Now with edging, I can fill it with cedar chips and make this path more deliberate.

It looks straight-forward, but it takes a little effort to get the trenches dug, and the steel evenly spaced and leveled. This even required a hacksaw and hatchet to carve out space in a large root, from the stump at the end of the path.

The steel, specifically made for edging, is something we purchased years ago — five pieces, about $20 each. My original plan for them didn’t work out but the pieces have been useful over the years. Mostly as templates. The planting areas in the front are defined by long, winding brick edges. These curves were determined by bending the steel in the ground, and then placing the bricks against the steel. If I need to use the steel in another place, like for this new path, I pop the the flexible, rusting pieces out of the ground.

This half-moon shaped bed was originally formed with steel edging. The bricks were added a year later.

Site Updates

In the past week I’ve been sorting through years old images and creating drafts of plant pages. A couple were posted live:

I have a couple book pages in the works to add to Sources. Once I have a few more pages posted, I’ll consider this site launched.