Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: kippers garden on November 25, 2009, 07:12:49
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I am currently trying to create 'fixed no dig' beds on my lottie (i can't afford the wood for raised beds).
I am interested what you use as paths. I can't use slabs as these will be too expensive and carpet isn't allowed at our allotment. I've thought of sowing grass seed but this seems labour intensive as it's a big plot.
What do you use?...or do you just leave it and have bare soil to walk on...if so how do you stop the weeds?
Any replys will be welcomed, thank you
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i use flagstones on mine and they dont have to be expensive.
some where £1 each,the rest where free,
keep looking in freecycle.
good luck.
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a cheap alternative is wood chippings,contact a local tree surgeon who will no doubt be pleased to find somewhere to dump them for free
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have you tried weed fabric.
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People use all sorts on our allotments, rubber mats from cars, carpet laid upside down, used compost bags. It is amazing what people want to get rid of, try asking anyone with a skip, and your local Freecycle on line is very worthwhile. You can post a 'wanted' notice to advertise what you are looking for, but I've never been lucky enough to get any paving via that route, slabs are very popular and I've ended up buying fairly cheaply via eBay in the end.
I use woodchips on bare soil which does mean you need to weed and top it up, t having membrane underneath would have been better..... ::). We were getting some deliveries of shreddings from the local Council, but haven't had any lately, and I need to top up badly!
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I used woodchips and have regretted doing so, I spend more time weeding the paths than weeding the beds, so beware, you've been warned :)
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we used old compost bags cut in half covered in wood chip(free from our tip) on our first plot...now got weed control, ash and flags we've got for nothing ;D
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Between our raised beds we have grass paths and a couple of wood chip on membrane. All works well, especially since I work on the plot barefoot (not at the moment lol). We also have paving slab path all around the polytunnel (and partially inside). The idea is that the strimmer doesn't get too close to the plastic!
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I've just laid some weed membrane down the centre between my raised beds area 1m wide from Wickes with some recycled wood edging to keep the wood/bark chippings in. Looks good , stops you sliding on the current mud so hope it keeps ok -will probably have to top up as and when with chippings. For the main traffic area near the entrance and round my shed door I've put some odd flags, mainly half size and odd broken ones I've managed to salvage from different places. :) Am considering using the weed membrane on its own in half width to go across between the beds so that I can lift and move it if required or may just use flat planks to work between?
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a cheap alternative is wood chippings,
Sounds like a good idea. The local authority go around at this time of year grinding down the trees on the road side so there are loads of chipping just lying about.
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I've tried over the years: chipped wood, gravel on membrane, pavers, grass, and a boardwalk I built from pallets.
Past couple years I've been most pleased with a woven plastic that lets rain through but completely blocks weeds (unless I let dirt accumulate on top enough to support germination.)
It is tough enough for wheelbarrows and supposed to last about 10 years. It doesn't look as nice as pavers/boardwalk but weeding paths gets old quick!
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I'm about halfway done with Freecycled concrete flags.... first 40 feet is 2-foot squares, the next 30-something feet is 18" ones, there are some cross-paths made from 18's too but I think I'll redo them to use half-flags.... I'll get more bed space that way and I'm not fussed about getting a barrow down them....
chrisc
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Woodchip and weeds! :)
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Concrete slabs when I can get them... :)
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Couch grass and weeds :o
One day I might get round to doing something about them
1066
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If money is tight why not stick to earth paths. When they are used all the time it is not difficult to skim the weeds off every 6 months or so with a spade. They tend to pack down as they are all that is used to get round your beds so the weeds are not too prolific as they are trodden on every so often.
I think if you put down weed membrane or anything like that then you have another problem with that rising up tripping you or slugs and nasties hiding underneath!
Good luck whatever you decide!
O B
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Hey Kipper,
Try ringing around your local lnadscapers / paving contracters, they hire skips to get rid of old pavers. Skips cost a lot of money these days so you can usually get old flags and pavers for free. Leave your number with them and you will be surprised at how many come your way!
Try calling in at your local scaffolding company too; I got loads of old scaffolding boards that 'elf n safety decreed they could no longer use - and at a extremely reasonable price. It was like merecat manor on our site when my load arrived, all the heads popping up over various crops! Several admitted they could've kicked themselves for not thinking of it!
Work on the theory - if you don't ask you dont get - you may be pleasantly surprised!
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What a lot of food for thought. Thanks for all your replies, all very interesting. I'll be giving it all some thought.
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If you use weed membrane, you need something to fix it firmly in place, such as metal ground staples. I have it all round the boundaries of one allotment to stop the field creeping back - underneath it I placed plenty of old newspapers to suffocate the weeds.
Ground staples are expensive and not easy to find, so my husband got a roll of heavy gauge wire and made me about 100 - very useful indeed.
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I agree with Old Bird, looking around our site, found the packed down earth worked well. Grass paths are OK but the grass does tend to spread and the paths yet wider and the beds get smaller. In fact Ken, won a prize for the best allotment locally, not sure how many entered, but his wife entered him and he has the packed down earth paths (and no weeds ;D ;D). I put a load of wood chip down on my paths but the grass has come back and mushrooms. Not a good idea to use carpet which I did at first before the Council told us to remove it all. In fact one bloke had better carpet on his paths then I have in the front room, said he had a mate that was a carpet fitter, but he had to remove it all, and yes the nasties do get under it and it gets very heavy to remove.
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Grass paths. They do take some cutting, but I like how they look.
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I have grass paths and have invested in 2 cheap battery strimmers. Bought from argos when on half price offer. I do have to allow time to strim but they look good and make it easier to get around the raised beds. Some of the old hands on my site think it is a waste of space but it works for me. I just strimmed what grew where I wanted paths and now it looks like lawn.
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We use woodchips (delivered free from the council) around most of our raised beds. Don't have too many problems with weeds, but you need to put a really thick layer down. Keep topping it up every couple of months.
You can see them in this video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DaDbffW0CKk&feature=player_embedded
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food conveyor belting turned upsidedown keeps the weeds down and can easily be moved to get rid of the slugs.
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food conveyor belting turned upsidedown keeps the weeds down and can easily be moved to get rid of the slugs.
now that is unusual! But hey if it works then fantastic. I'm presuming you had access to one ;)
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:) grass for me / shades x
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I'm about halfway done with Freecycled concrete flags.... first 40 feet is 2-foot squares, the next 30-something feet is 18" ones, there are some cross-paths made from 18's too but I think I'll redo them to use half-flags.... I'll get more bed space that way and I'm not fussed about getting a barrow down them....
chrisc
Picked up some more tonight... put out a wanted ad on Freecycle, two responses... one had 10 off 2 foot slabs, the other claimed to be 30 or so 12" ones.... great I thought, they'll do for the cross-paths..... except there were 54 of them and they're 18"..... which means I've probably got enough slabs to finish all the long path down the the plot and if I get the grinder out and cut some of them in half then the cross paths that divide the rotation beds should be achievable too... thought it was going to take a lot longer to accumulate enough slabs to do this, but it's possible I've got enough to put a little hard-standing near the shed....
If you want slabs then try freecycle, but be prepared to be able to pick up quickly, never fail to turn up (there are no excuses).... the last thing I wanted to do after loading the 54 18" slabs was to drive my van on a 20 mile round-trip to pick up some 2 foot monsters but I did .... I don't think my allotment would have worked without freecycle :D......
chrisc
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Grass looks good, but it's fairly high maintenance. Our main paths are mainly grass and so are all the cross-paths between plots; when they're cut they really look neat. But edging takes an age!
Where we've got raised beds we use heavy-duty woven membrane from Wickes covered in wood chips. We get wood chips delivered by a local tree surgeon.
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Keep an eye on ebay - sometimes you can get a real bargain on paving slabs. Just know your price and don't get carried away. Got a bunch this way for less than 20p each...
I also have paths with woven membrane and free woodchips from the council...they are less permanant if you want to rearrange beds.
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And don't forget Freecycle, I bought two lots of slabs on Ebay, and although I didn't pay much for them, I got 18 from a Freecycler, all it cost was a bottle of wine.
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Old Bird is right.
The packed earth paths don't seem to grow weeds,
but I run the hoe down them now and then,
gently rake off the loose soil and add it to the beds.