I'm working with a graveled-in-boat-parking type of garden spot. We are undecided whether to do all raised beds on the gravel or to dig the garden pathway down two and a half feet with a rented piece of machinery. Does anyone have any opinions either way? I'm worried there might be some weird water runoff issue with digging the pathways down, but maybe not? Thanks! katrinasdc
What if she wants to plant trees - I presume roots would penetrate? I'm not clear on whether you are talking about making pathways or garden beds. It never hurts to understand the runoff patterns on your property. I have just figured out after 15 years how and why soil is accumulating in our back alley at the base of our downward-sloping yard...
If you're tied to a sunken pathway, I'd put raised stepped beds above the path after figuring out exactly what the drainage is. No point in putting in all of the effort of terracing and the half-raised design that entails if when it rains the soil all washes into your lower pathways. One possible solution is to terrace the whole thing and then install paths on top of the terracing, rather than through them. This certainly works here in the Andes, where most of the real-estate is heavily sloped. In this way you'll avoid the worst of the drainage issue, as the terraces if constructed properly will drain downwards. Then, simply plant your most water-loving cultivars in lower terraces. Here, it goes from maize and potatoes on top to rice at the bottom, but I'm assuming that you want ornamentals as well as food.
