Post date: Mar 24, 2015 1:31:11 AM
Here in Valverde Commons we have a nice gravel path that runs in a circle just inside the circle of houses, leading to the Common House, where our mail is delivered. It is up to each homeowner to get from their house to the path. Since I'm staying in a new house, there is no landscaping yet. Thus the route from my (rental) house to the path is mud — or mud and dead thistles.
So I thought I would get some "beauty bark", one recommended way to make a mud-free path. Except I can't find who sells it. So, I thought, "We certainly have plenty of river rock. Why not make a rock path?" So I borrowed a rake and a wheelbarrow and started about 5 this evening to rake the rocks. I started with the front garden, which has had some 'topsoil' added. Well, there are plenty of rocks visible in that 'topsoil' so I raked them under the downspouts to reduce erosion.
It's a good contest whether this soil had more rocks than our moraines in Seattle. In Seattle the rocks are separated by sand and gravel, with occasional lenses of silt (called 'blue clay' in Seattle). Here the rocks are separated by silt and clay. Certainly no shortage of rocks, either here or on Latona Avenue. Both young soils - since the Ice Age - and both poorly developed (meaning very little organic material).
After the front 'garden' I proceeded around the west side of the house to the little paved squares in front of side and back doors to the garage and house. Here there is no pretext at topsoil. So I rake rocks to make paths between the little entry pads and, again, under the downspouts to prevent erosion. After about an hour and a half I don't have much to show for my efforts, but I did get some exercise and am ready for dinner (and a rest).
Saturday was a community work day, and we raked dead thistles into piles to dry and burn. This morning we burned the piles. That left circles with some ash and no vegetation. I thought it would be nice to seed these circle with native grasses that could choke out the invasive species and restore this old river bottom to a more nearly natural (and beautiful) state. But I have not yet found a source for this seed. I'll have to ask around or look on the Internet. The soil is not very fertile, so a bit of native clover will help restore the nitrogen needed for healthy plants.
I may seed the front 'garden' with a cover crop just to keep down the weeds. Have to do that soon, as the soil is drying out quickly.