We begin this exciting episode with my telling you, how I am going to plan the pathway that runs from the side of our home to the back studio. It's always important to know what the purpose of the pathway is, so that you can better plan on material needed. So since this is a functional path, and I want it to go to the back studio and also go by the pump house, I know that the width of the path will need to accommodate wheelbarrows and a lot of foot traffic. Next, I talked about drainage. My path is on a fairly flat surface area, but there is one section that has had standing and slightly running water on it during an extremely heavy rain. (Like we don't get them here?) So I know that the base material will need to be fairly substantial in that one area. Also, I will have to keep in mind that the surface will be damp, and this might cause any settling of material. The area in question has excellent drainage, and is very stable because the base is extremely rocky. So drainage and settling also won't be a problem. Now, if it were a consideration, then I would want to dig down more than six inches and put down some ground cloth to keep the soil stable, but luckily, I won't have to do that.
Now, what about plants? I have two trees adjacent to the planned walkway--one is a mulberry tree and the other is a maple. I shouldn't have to worry about the roots growing and staying close to the surface on either area because when I planted them, I made certain that they were in deep, and placed a good basin around them. By watering them well, I have hopefully prevented the roots from staying close to the surface; for the past two years, I have seen no sign of them doing otherwise. Now if roots were going to be a problem, then I would have to plan on cutting the root system back on the path side to prevent them from growing under the pathway.
To make my path enjoyable to look at, I am going to put three shallow curves in it, so that it will slightly meander around the back area. I won't exaggerate the curves because when I use it, I want it to be as straight as possible to save time in walking back and forth. Also I am going to go around a big, old oak tree and maybe put some flowers around the base, just to give it some more appeal.
Now to build it.
The first step is to dig the base. Get a bag of white lime and mark the borders of it. This way I can make any changes since I will have a good feel of what it will look like. As I said, it's going to be pretty rocky, so I'll hire some kids who are younger than me and lack common sense and are pretty hungry for some extra cash. I'll give them a hoe and shovel, and then tell them to dig between the lines and go down four inches. I'm certain that they will come up with some extra rocks, so I will have them stockpile them for me for later use in building some walls. Once they have it dug out, then I will spread some three-quarter minus crushed aggregate and lay that down as the base and compact it. In the area where there is a chance for settling, I think that I will lay down some ground fabric first, then fill over it with the ground cloth. Next will come a layer of sand, because I am going to use some regular twelve-inch square stepping-stones. The sand will level the base and the stepping-stones will go on top of the sand. Since placing the stones calls for a strong back and a weak mind, I feel perfectly qualified to do this job. When it comes to the corners, I will fill the joints with mortar mix to make the path continuous. Since I have a bunch of dirt, or wannabe topsoil-that I got for free-I will use that for along the edges of the stepping-stones, and I will let the grass begin to grow over it. And then, I have a pathway. Pretty simple, huh? Well, I gotta' go; so until next week, see ya'!
Originally published in the Daily Courier May 11, 2000