Author Topic: Ideas for paths please! (Read 7455 times)

Chrissie · « **on:** November 08, 2005, 15:24:02 »

Hi all,

At last I've been given my own full-sized plot after sharing someone else's for a season. Yippee!! It's ENORMOUS. Well it seems huge to me. I need to divide it up physically and therefore mentally, so I can cope better.

I'd really appreciate ideas for making cheap, functional paths between beds. Last year I used non-woven weed suppressing fabric from Wilko's which looked great and worked brilliantly until bright sunlight made it disintegrate! Oops :-[.

Grass paths are definitely out from a maintenance point of view as I need so many.

Cheers everyone.

sandersj89 · « **Reply #1 on:** November 08, 2005, 16:15:18 »

Have you a local free source of chipped bark? You could cover the weed fabric with these and it should stop it all sinking into the soil over winter.

This is better than wood planks, which get slippery and cheaper than paving slabs which harbour slugs and snails.

You could also try carpet but that is not so nice on the eye.

HTH

Jerry

djbrenton · « **Reply #2 on:** November 08, 2005, 17:06:42 »

Get in touch with the appropriate dept of your council and at this time of year they'll be pruning trees. We keep seeing them in various places and they seem happy to drop loads off instead of taking it to the depot. We've had 3 lorryloads so far with more promised.

grubbyhobbit · « **Reply #3 on:** November 08, 2005, 17:32:03 »

Am currently aquiring a nice kind of crazy paving effect wih my paths which consist of damaged bits of patio slabs from the local quarries/garden centres etc. They sell them off really cheap or give them away and are looking really funky.
Haven't had any problems with slug and snail harbouring either, touch wood!

Have to say I'm well against the use of carpets - have been slowly working my way through my extremely overgrown allotment, and along with all the couch and bindweed roots, keep finding chunks of partially rotted blue carpet!

Chrissie · « **Reply #4 on:** November 08, 2005, 17:46:10 »

Some great ideas - thanks! ;D I agree about the carpets, in fact they were nearly banned on our site as it's entirely organic and some bright spark on the committee was worried about non-organic dye leaching into the soil. They eventually decided that was taking things a bit far...

I love the idea of free chipped bark and will definitely follow that one up.

redimp · « **Reply #5 on:** November 08, 2005, 17:47:09 »

I have an allotment that is is on a filled up quarry - thus I have a lot of loose stone (that eats soil). When I lug one of these things up, I add it to my growing paths. It happens quite frequently.

daisymay · « **Reply #6 on:** November 08, 2005, 21:52:40 »

I use some old laminate flooring, we ripped it up out of lounge when we moved in, so you could do a bit of scavenging round building sites etc... disadvantage as Jerry says is they are quite slippy when wet, especially in wellies, nearly came a cropper the other day!

But good as a temporary solution till we decide on something more permenant.

tim · « **Reply #7 on:** November 09, 2005, 08:39:39 »

We find bark very useful. Even without the underlay.

chriszog · « **Reply #8 on:** November 09, 2005, 12:33:16 »

I phoned the local guy that pruned our trees he was only too happy to offload some bags of bark. I use it over the top of weed suppressing fabric. Just finished my new path at the lottie and will be posting some photos at the weekend in "Top Tips" Moving plots. Bark, I think looks nice is natural and mostly maintenance free, all it needs is a top up from time to time.
Regards
Chris

Chrissie · « **Reply #9 on:** November 09, 2005, 14:40:16 »

Thanks for all the tips - it looks as though bark is the answer, especially if I can get hold of some for nothing!

Bit dubious about containing it along the sides - won't it spill out everywhere? I'm planning a lot of these paths as I like the small bed system (not much digging!) so finding enough wood to make hard edges would be difficult :-\...

djbrenton · « **Reply #10 on:** November 09, 2005, 15:35:06 »

if you've had an allotment for more than 3 weeks then it's past time you were introduced to skip diving anyway.

chriszog · « **Reply #11 on:** November 09, 2005, 16:08:21 »

You took the words out of my mouth also the local tip its amazing what people throw in the wood bin, I recovered about a dozen 12' planks in half an hour.
Also the local scaffolders often have old boards discarded.
Good luck and happy hunting
Regards
Chriszog

supersprout · « **Reply #12 on:** November 09, 2005, 20:29:58 »

Hey Chrissie, I am a confirmed no-dig bedder and I'm with you, I think edgings on beds and paths are an invitation for slugs to set up home :-[. Plus, I might want a roundy one one year ::), a flat one next year ::), hilled up in the middle for spuds ;D - all possible with a 'sideless' bed!
My paths are a mix of a few wide lined and chipped paths (a treat in winter) and mostly plain earth paths, whose topsoil has been put on the beds. In the summer I keep the weeds off by scraping with a hoe from time to time :P. No trouble, and the plants seem happy.
Green with envy though that you can find free woodchips! ;D

TEL · « **Reply #13 on:** November 09, 2005, 20:50:23 »

I must go with SP i just dig the lot & then where i need to walk is the path until next time i dig it all over again & start again ;D

jennym · « **Reply #14 on:** November 10, 2005, 07:33:40 »

I have a number of paths too. Most are from slabs discarded by people - the best time to get these free is in spring, especially on housing estates where people are doing up their gardens. I just keep an eye open, and people are usually only too glad to get rid of them. have to make several trips though, can't get many in the boot...
I've done the same with discarded bricks, and also have one path made from pieces of hardwood I got - I cut them all to about 2 ft long pieces.
All these are laid directly onto compacted heavy clay soil. getting it flat is the worst bit, but they do last well when done.

Chrissie · « **Reply #15 on:** November 10, 2005, 10:02:21 »

Wow I'm overwhelmed with all this fabulous advice.

This forum is just wonderful - the wealth of knowledge and ideas out there (and the friendly way it's shared around) is fantastic and very much in the allotment spirit I think.

Can't wait to go skip-diving and get my eye in for discarded goodies.

Thank you everyone :-*

Anne Robertson · « **Reply #16 on:** November 10, 2005, 16:44:46 »

I have my fingers and toes crossed. ;D I was in the local town centre this morning and they were in the process of re-doing all the old brick and slab paving so I have asked for some of the bricks/slabs. So just waiting for a phone call and hope someone hasn't beaten me to them. They will be perfect for edging the new path I have just made on the lottie.

Chrissie · « **Reply #17 on:** November 10, 2005, 17:02:10 »

That's brilliant Ani, let us know how you get on.

Chrissie · « **Reply #18 on:** November 10, 2005, 23:27:37 »

Hi Wardy,

I've been using small cardboard boxes up to now but they're not ideal.

Your offer is much appreciated and I've sent my address in a personal message.

I was definitely right about this site being REALLY friendly ;D!

Chrissie · « **Reply #19 on:** November 11, 2005, 09:15:08 »

Thank you!

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Author Topic: Ideas for paths please! (Read 7455 times)