GARDENING-FAITH and INVESTMENT
Gardening is very comparable to any investment; it is done in direct proportion to faith in an anticipated return. Making and marketing the Kwik Edge tool has brought to my attention that not all gardeners consider this principle which introduces varying degrees of frustration into their garden experience.
When we invest our money we watch it carefully. If the investment does not perform we move our money to one that shows more promise or we do what lies in our power to implement changes that will enhance performance. This same principle applies to our garden.
With regard to the Kwik Edge tool I occasionally receive comments such as: “Does not work as advertised,” “difficult to use in clay soil,” “I don’t know may people that have soil like that,” “it looks like potting soil.” The demonstration videos were not staged. All my planting beds were once heavy clay. I realized long ago that if I wanted a good garden experience, I would have to invest accordingly. My clay soil was not a mandate of fate that I simply had to endure; I changed the conditions and with it my pleasure in the process and my faith in the returns.
If you are working with heavy soil, see it as a plus. The lawn does not mind heavy soil and if you think of it as a way to create huge clay pots your ideas about gardening and the tools you use will change. Again, your initial investment is what determines the short and long term return. It is difficult to move your garden, but you can make changes. Dig a hole in your clay soil. Define the edges with a half-moon step shovel (I don’t know of a better tool for that part of the job). You can literally dig the hole 12 to 20 inches deep and fill it with potting soil, but that would be expensive and laborious. Instead, dig down a couple inches, removing grass and roots, add sand and compost, till and blend to a desired composition and depth and people will soon begin to tell you that it looks like potting soil and will want to know how you did it.
With planting beds defined in this way, the Kwik Edge tool, used once or twice a month or as needed, will keep the grass roots out of the bed and under the sod where they belong. At this point, with the help of the Kwik Edge, invading grass is a thing of the past. Soil prepared this way will enhance the performance of all your garden tools as well as your overall garden experience. It will help your garden deliver the way you hoped and anticipated at the beginning of your seasonal garden investment.
W. T. Svedin