RE: pathway maintenance

H* A*

The Clinton Community Garden ( clintoncommunitygarden.org) uses red brick
paths because they are durable, safe and easy to maintain. We utilized red
bricks salvaged from dumptsters, empty lots, and construction sites ( it's
NYC after all!) We were able to get some beautiful brownstone pieces for our
Native American Garden from a stoop and stairway  that was replaced a few
doors east of the garden.

It's hard work doing this properly, but it's certainly doable. You need
strong backs, shovels, a carpenters level and a tape measure. We dug the
path down about a foot, filled it with gravel, laid bricks and topped it
with sand which we swept into the crevices. Rome wasn't built in a day,  and
neither will your path, pending weather, building supplies and aching
backs....but persevere. Once the path is laid, it looks fabulous, needs
little maintenance ( some weeding and re-sanding) and it's done!

It's a good project for male gardeners who have an excess of upper body
strength, desire to build something and a good excuse to drink beer on a hot
day.

Happy path laying!
Adam 
> -----Original Message-----
> From:	beanman@ix.netcom.com [SMTP:beanman@ix.netcom.com]
> Sent:	Tuesday, September 21, 1999 5:28 PM
> To:	barricklow@juno.com; community_garden@mallorn.com
> Subject:	[cg] pathway maintenance
> 
> On 09/20/99 23:50:47 you wrote:
> 
> Hi,
> In my experience, dutch white clover makes for good pathways. Low growing,
> weed suppressing, nitrogen fixing, easy and even 
> unecessary to mow, attracts pollinating insects. And should pathways ever
> get converted to growing space, the soil will be better off 
> for it.
> 
> One may view this more convenient than woodchips, since woodchips
> decompose and need replacing, whereas clover reseeds itself.
> Woodchips while decomposing also tend to draw sow bugs and other insects,
> whereas clover root systems will attract beneficial 
> insects. Also, firm ground with clover is more handicap accessible than
> woodchips which shift and move under foot, crutch and wheel.
> 
> You may want to try different solutions in different paths to find which
> works best for you.
> 
> >>Hello!  Jennifer here again looking for yet more advice from all my
> >>fellow (helpful) gardeners.  We are experiencing a mess in our 
> >>walkways
> >>surrounding each garden plot.  Last year we left them bare, with only
> >>dirt in them, and it was a mess whenever they got wet from watering.
> >>They'd turn into rivers of mud, and were very slippery.  So, this 
> >>year,
> >>we received donated sawdust, and put this in the walkways.  It
> >>eliminated the mud problem, but some of the gardeners do not like it
> >>because when wet, it sticks to bags, buckets and shoes.  Does anyone
> >>have any suggestions that have worked for them?  We've thought of 
> >>straw
> >>or hay, but of course, not everyone agreed on this either.
> >
> 
> 
> 
> Happy Gardening!
> 
> John Edward Verin
> Senior Apprentice
> Ecosystem Farm
> Accokeek, MD
> 
> "I don't want to break your heart in two
>  There's just one thing I'd like you to try
>  Don't let science take your wings away
>  You can live tomorrow from today"
>  - Francis Dunnery
> 
>    francisdunnery.com
> 
> 
> Food is power... are you in control of yours?
> 
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