The Laying of the Carpet

Remember this rummage sale purchase from last weekend?

Remember this grassy gourd area?

Today we mowed and weedwhacked the grass, and cut it especially low in the gourd area.

Then I pulled the rolls of carpet into the back yard and laid them out flat. If you do this, always lay the carpet out upside down - it's a bazillion times easier to cut, and when it's in place in the garden, you want the backing side up. (This works out great when your neighbor gives you their old aqua carpet, 'cause it doesn't matter what color it is - plus the tight woven backing guarantees the rain will be funneled off onto the plants, instead of being absorbed into the path itself).

Get yourself a utility knife cutter - put a fresh blade in - and the carpet will cut like butter.

I promise.

See? Piece of cake.

I laid down an extra wide piece between the gourds and their plastic racks, and the straw-mulched blueberry patch.

Here's the carpet fully laid, with rocks to weight it until the rain/sun/traffic helps it settle onto the ground. The carpet will not only kill the grass underneath it, but it will keep our pesky wiregrass from spreading, and give the gourds a clean place to spread out on and myself a clean path to walk on no matter how much rain falls.

I'm still on the lookout for a little more carpet, to fit around the tomatos and peppers.

Between the gourds and the carpet, this area will be bare dirt next spring, ready for putting down some sort of floor (gravel or possibly even a low deck, maybe) underneath a gazebo I have my eye on.