Edging the Carriage Roads in Spring
It’s always important to keep up with lawn maintenance chores, especially during this time of year when everything is growing so quickly.
Here at my Bedford, New York farm, my outdoor grounds crew is busy edging the interior carriage roads, so they look crisp and clean - it's a task we do once a year. Edging roads, lawns, and around garden beds can be done manually with a variety of spades, but depending on the size of the space, it can become very time-consuming. Rotary edgers, powered by gasoline, electricity, or portable battery 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 road where it meets the grass border. For this chore, we used our Little Wonder Power Edger and our STIHL Kombi-System Lawn Edger. Both work really well for creating that beautiful, smooth edge.
Enjoy these photos.
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- I have four miles of gravel-covered carriage road at my farm. It’s important to edge it regularly, so the roads look tidy. This section of road is in front of my Summer House. It is ready to be edged.
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- Here’s a close look at how the grass has grown into the gravel making it difficult to see the exact edge where the carriage road meets the lawn.
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- This Little Wonder gas powered edger is such a useful tool – it is a single purpose machine used to make good, crisp lines along the edges of garden beds and lawns. We’ve been using this handy and dependable machine for years.
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- The blade is several inches long and cuts a very clean edge. It is protected by a metal cutter head that can also prevent some of the debris from flying when in use.
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- The blade’s cutting depth can be adjusted from a lever near the handlebar of the machine. It can cut up to four inches deep.
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- The Little Wonder is gas powered and holds 0.59 gallons of fuel.
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- The machine also has eight inch solid rubber wheels which are easy to maneuver and guide.
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- Before any edging begins, Fernando blows along the road with our STIHL leaf blower to clear any leftover dead leaves or debris. These STIHL blowers are powerful and fuel-efficient. They provide enough rugged power to tackle heavy debris while delivering lower emissions.
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- Pete and Fernando use bright colored mason twine, two long nails, and a steel drilling hammer to mark the straight edge of the lawn where the edger will go. This length of twine is saved and used over and over for making straight lines in a variety of projects.
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- Pete hammers in a nail to anchor the twine at one end. A stake or a garden sod staple can also be used.
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- Pete then pulls the twine taut at the opposite end and secures it with the other nail.
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- Here it is easy to see the guiding line for the edger. A lot of grass has grown since this road was last edged.
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- It’s always important to wear long pants, and closed shoes to avoid injury from any flying debris – edgers can cause small stones to fly up to nearly 10-feet. Pete also wheres eye protection while using this machine. As it is running, Pete listens to the edger to guide the speed. The machine works harder when cutting through the turf and is generally quieter when it finishes.
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- The important thing is to focus on staying in line with the turf – one of the biggest problems among homeowners is that they go too low and ignore the line they are following. This edger is able to edge up to 90 feet per minute.
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- Here is the finished line made by the edger – so clean and crisp. This task can also be done manually with an edging spade, but with the number of roads that need edging around the farm, it is a lot easier to use the powered edger tool.
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- One can see where the edger has passed and made a clean line through the very edge of the turf where the grass has grown.
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- Once a section has been edged, Fernando pulls up any existing vegetation between the cut edging line and the lawn using a collinear hoe. This tool has a thin blade that rides flat and collinear with the soil surface, slicing off the unwanted turf.
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- Here’s a finished edge – it looks so straight.
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- Pete uses a basic paddle hoe to pull out any weeds. The hoe has a six-inch blade on a 52-inch wooden handle attached with a goose-neck for good alignment.
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- Fernando uses a soft rake to remove all the debris from the road.
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- In another area, Fernando uses our STIHL lawn edger. This edger is very light – less than three pounds, with a wheel on one side for added maneuverability. The blade is about five inches long, which cuts a very clean edge. The lawn edger blade is made of carbon steel that is tempered and blackened to resist corrosion. This type of edger is great for smaller spaces.
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- This is STIHL’s backpack battery. This backpack battery eliminates the cost of fuel and engine oil and can be used with the edger attachment along with several other useful accessories.
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- Fernando guides the machine slowly along the carriage road, keeping the blade tight against the surface, so it cuts through the earth. Edging can take some time depending on how much road there is to do.
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- This section of road in front of my long pergola looks so wonderful now.
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- Here is another side of the finished road. Spring chores can be tedious, but they are all worth the effort.
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- This is the straight edged area surrounding the hitching post in front of my Winter House. It, too, was edged.
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- The carriage roads are all about 12-feet wide, which is what it should be after any overgrowth is removed. The roads look great! There’s a lot more road to edge – keep up the good work, Pete and Fernando!
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