Paths

[gary]

What type of paths do you have on your plots and in between your beds?

I was planning to have paving stones down the middle with wood chip paths running off and between the raised beds.

Just wondering what everyone else has?

[gary]

[silly billy]

Compacted soil so i can easily change my layout as its our 1st year.

[Mrs Ava]

Same, I just walk on the earth where I need a path.  It means i can be flexible and dig up a piece of path if I want to squeeze in yet more plants.

[Curryandchips]

The main path up the middle of my large plot is a mixture of slabs and pallets. The rest of my plot is just soil paths so it gets dug over and reused as required. Less paths means more land to grow stuff on.

[Robert_Brenchley]

Concrete round the edges, far too close to the hedges. I'm building a brick path down the middle, which gets a bit further each year.

[Roy Bham UK]

I agree with Emma and Curry I used wood chippings and it looks good for a short while and while your back is turned the weeds take over, similar to Curry I now use slabs down the main path and churn up the side paths each year just for the shear satisfaction of splattering those pesky weeds. >:( ;D

[powerspade]

 I used woodchip for pathways the only problem was I had honey fungus from the chips :'(

[Larkspur]

Main path is used heavy duty carpet tiles (non slippy, very durable, weed suppressant, surprisingly decorative and easily replaced ;) :D) side paths are wood chip.

[glow777]

old conveyor belts.

I rolled one out last year and it was longer than I thought and it smashed through a pane in my greenhouse :P

[supersprout]

Main paths woodchip over 1m wide woven membrane, side paths straw over thick newspaper. No problem with weeds :)

[Hyacinth]

old conveyor belts.

I rolled one out last year and it was longer than I thought and it smashed through a pane in my greenhouse :P

wherever did you get them, glow? and what a great idea 8) shame about the pane of glass tho :( ;D

[glow777]

wherever did you get them, glow? and what a great idea 8) shame about the pane of glass tho :( ;D

From work where everything comes from.
Although I work in IT the company I work for manufactures glass kilns and processes minerals.

We have lots of machinery, a joiners, fitters, electricians and engineering departments.

We get charged £8 a ton to tip on our own tip so anything that is getting thrown can be taken.

This comes down to endless supplies of wood bits, shrink bags, water butts, conveyor belts etc etc etc.

Its just a case of thinking what can I use that for

makes up for the bad pay I get for working in IT
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

[tim]

Honey fungus from wood chips? I very much doubt it. No more so than the funghi growing in my peat-free growbags.

Yes - wood cchips for me - easily raked up if needed. But we do have one, more permanent area, which is quartered with slabs.

[MikeB]

I have raised beds with cement paths around them. Waited five years before I cemented the paths, wanted to be certain they were in the right place. ;D ;D

[cambourne7]

wherever did you get them, glow? and what a great idea 8) shame about the pane of glass tho :( ;D

From work where everything comes from.
Although I work in IT the company I work for manufactures glass kilns and processes minerals.

We have lots of machinery, a joiners, fitters, electricians and engineering departments.

We get charged £8 a ton to tip on our own tip so anything that is getting thrown can be taken.

This comes down to endless supplies of wood bits, shrink bags, water butts, conveyor belts etc etc etc.

Its just a case of thinking what can I use that for

makes up for the bad pay I get for working in IT
;) ;) ;) ;) ;) ;)

maybe we should ask dan for a for sale section and you can make up some of the poor salary :-)

[Barnowl]

We've got wood chips on top of membrane, but the wood chips seem to be rotting quite fast bearing in mind they've only been down 7 months.

They're pine, so could I use them as mulch if they get much worse and try and find a better brand for next year?

[artichoke]

Supersprout:  you have woodchips on a membrane for your paths - why did you put the membrane down?

I have a dilemma here - the newspaper and cardboard I have been putting down, some of which will be path area, has smothered the grass and weeds of the field my allotment is in very well. But it is extremely slippery, and I am on a slope. I have access to unlimited willow chippings, but cannot decide if I should put down a membrane first (expensive) or just put the chips on top of the cardboard and find that it is still slippery.

Any advice?

[supersprout]

Hi artichoke, membrane stops perennial weeds pushing through the woodchips. The membrane came in a big roll 1m wide, a handy width for wheelbarrow and sprout ;D

I have two plots, with four long paths - one between me and weedy neighbour >:( and three more, each running up the 20m length of the plot. That would be 80m2 of potential weed problem if not for the membrane :P



IMO putting the chips on top of the cardboard should be fine, so long as you put 3 or more inches down, and replenish if you see it's wearing thin ::)

[tim]

Puts us to shame, Sarah!

[supersprout]

that's kind of you to say tim - but remember it was his hard work - not mine :-[ ::)
12-14 barrowloads per path :o