This week at Overleaf Garden I made progress sorting the bricks I intend to use as pavement in various areas of the garden. (See above , left) I also took in another small load of bricks from my neighbors (Thanks, Emma and Matt!) Ideally I’ll be able to collect enough hardscape material from various sources to pave all the dedicated pathways, but to be realistic, I’m just going to select a few key areas and take a wait-and-see approach with the rest. It’s a large area to cover with free, reclaimed materials. My fall back plan is to selectively plant some sort of native ground cover, such as Carolina Ponyfoot aka Dichondra carolinensis, or Oakwoods ponyfoot aka Dichondra recurvata, which are low-growing, creeping perennials that are native to Texas. (See above, right) In fact they are so native and prevalent that many people call them weeds. A low maintenance weed that acts as a ground cover, ideal if I can make it work.
I also made progress with the Dewberry vineyard. I strategically applied eight large bags of very cheap garden soil around the vines. It’s been another hot week, but I went ahead and braved a possible heat stroke hoping to get the soil in place before Hurricane Hanna brought much needed but potentially flooding rains to the region. A good heavy rain would help set the soil around the vines and settle the bed for the next round of soil building. I managed to get the soil in place, but Hanna skirted to our south, making landfall below Corpus Christi. The rain bands followed, arcing through our area but missing Overleaf Garden by a scant 5-10 miles to the south. We eventually got some rain, but not nearly as much as predicted or I had hoped. I can’t be too upset, growing up with the threat of hurricanes I’ve learned not to wish for one and tempt fate. As for the soil application, I simply placed eight bags of soil at strategic places around the bed, cut them open, and spread it where needed. The bed still isn’t completely filled with soil, I’ll need more, and I still need to place the trellises, but with the Kaizen spirit of small incremental improvements, I’ll get there before too long.
Next Week: Cleaning up the garden. Like a head of Covid-hair, I’ve let the grass and weed pathways go on a little too long, and they need to be brought under control. A little concentrated weed and grass pulling, and a some mowing will get much of it under control. There are some areas with rogue Dewberry vines, and the ever present Carolina Creeper and Morning Glory have claimed some space. They’ll all need to be removed. I also have some ligustrum to cut back.
That means the woodchipper will get a workout. It will be interesting to see how much I get done.