Edging and Weeding the Carriage Roads at My Farm
This time of year is great for starting all those lawn maintenance chores.
Here at my farm, my outdoor grounds crew is busy edging and weeding the interior roads, so they look crisp and clean - it's a task we do once a year. Edging the lawns can be done manually with a variety of spades, but depending on the size of the yard, it can become quite time-consuming. Rotary edgers, powered by gasoline or electricity, reduce the time it takes to complete this job. These machines feature a spinning blade that cuts through turf as the edger is pushed along the grass border. We edge the roads with a Little Wonder Power Edger. It works really well for creating that beautiful, smooth edge.
Here are some photos, enjoy.
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- I have four miles of gravel covered carriage road at my farm. Over the course of the year, grass and weeds grow where the road meets the lawn, so it’s a good idea to edge the roads regularly.
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- This is such a handy tool – it is my Little Wonder gas powered edger – a single purpose machine used to make good, crisp lines along the edges of garden beds and lawns.
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- Power edgers are easy to use – just line up the edger blade on the turf side of the road, and turn it on. On this gas powered machine, one has to pull a cord to start the motor.
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- The blade is several inches long and cuts a very clean edge. Here it is protected by a metal cutter head that can also prevent some of the debris from flying.
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- The blade can be adjusted to a cutting depth of up to four-inches.
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- Fernando keeps both hands on the edger’s handle at all times when it is running. Here he is guiding the machine slowly along the carriage road, keeping the blade tight against the paved surface, so it cuts through the earth. And always wear safety glasses to protect your eyes from flying debris.
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- Fernando also listens to the edger to guide the speed. The machine works harder when cutting through turf and is generally quieter when it finishes.
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- Here is the finished line made by the edger. This task can also be done manually with a spade, but with the amount of roads that need edging around my farm, it is a lot easier to use our Little Wonder.
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- Once a section has been edged, pull up any existing vegetation between the cut edging line and the lawn. Fernando uses a garden paddle hoe. It has a six-inch blade on a 52-inch wooden handle attached with a goose-neck for better alignment.
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- The hoe has a blade that easily draws the soil out from the edge – it looks so clean.
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- Fernando uses mason’s twine and a stake to mark perfect lines wherever the carriage roads are straight.
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- He lines up the twine where the edger should go, and then he lines up the edger, and continues to edge along the road.
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- Here, Fernando is following along with the hoe to pull out the cut turf.
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- Next, Fernando rakes all the clipping up from the road. This is also a good time to check for any weeds hat have grown elsewhere on the road – occasionally, weeds will pop up in the middle. Fernando checks every section and gets all the weeds he can see.
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- Once a section of old grass and weeds has been pulled and raked from the edge of the road, Fernando collects the clippings in a trug bucket for the compost pile.
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- This road is in the maple grove woodland – all edged. The roads are about 12-feet wide, which is what it should be after any overgrowth is removed.
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- This road is nearing my stable barn, which is on the right. It looks so nice to have well-groomed roads.
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- All the carriage roads are edged once a year around this time. It takes several days to complete, but it is such a necessary task.
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- Here is another carriage road in front of my hydrangea bed – all edged perfectly.
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- Down by the stable, one of my peahens is very intrigued by the edging process.
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- In this area, Fernando also removes any weeds growing near the brick pavers.
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- He uses the same paddle-hoe to get into tight places.
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- Once they are removed, he rakes the area clean.
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- It looks so much better once it is done. Weeding and edging the carriage roads gives them a beautiful finishing touch.
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