Читать книгу Make Your Garden Feed You - E. Brown T. - Страница 19

If the allotment measures, say, 90 ft. by 60 ft., it is really necessary to have a number of paths, and the better these are constructed the easier the work of the gardener, since work has often to be done in bad weather. In any case, no matter what the paths consist of, it is advisable to have a definite edging. The vegetable plots are naturally raised a little above the level of the paths owing to the cultivation of the ground so, unless a proper edging is provided, the soil gets on to the paths, making the allotment look untidy and uncared-for.

Various materials can be used for separating the plots from the paths, such as tiles, bricks, concrete slabs or wood. The last mentioned is excellent and is possibly the least expensive. The timber should be 5 in. wide and 1 in. thick, and 400 ft. is required for a plot 90 ft. by 60 ft. It may just happen, however, that in some districts one of the other three materials can be obtained even more cheaply, in which case it should be used.

In addition to the permanent edging there is no reason why a “live ” edging should not be planted. The dwarf plants used for the purpose occupy very little space and yet they make the allotment more attractive and also provide a few cut flowers for home decoration. Among the plants which are recommended for this purpose are: Gold Dust (Alyssum saxatile compactum), Alkanet (Anchusa myosolidiflora), Rock Cress (Arabis albida), Thrift (Armeria marilima), BellHower (Campanula) and Evergreen Candytuft (Iberis sempervirens).