What a difference paths make!

[OliveOil]

Took the plunge this week and got some straw bales in... my plot is such a disorganised mess with weeds all over the place and squash and courgette plants just lifted and the chooks down the end... sometimes i just dont know where to start.

ANyway, following on from SS's brilliant straw paths, me and OH got digging - a path all the way from the front to the chicken run gate and then small paths running across the plot to divide up different beds, all different sizes ... it looks great and finally i can plan what is going to go into which bed!  The straw looks really neat too and no more muddy boots!

[OliveOil]

[tim]

Do so agree - ours are slabs, but I can now pick Sprouts without changing my shoes!

[supersprout]

pick me pick me! ;D ;D ;D

great to hear it works for you OO, I learned the principle of paths and straight lines when ordered to tidy my room as a teenager ::) ;D

[Mrs Ava]

My darling has been shredding all of our old paperwork.  We still had details of a house sale 2 houses ago, and credit card statements dating back into the 90's!  Sacks of shredded paper are heading to the plot where they will be watered to stop them blowing away, then used as mulch around my leeks to blanch them, and as a path infront of my permanent runner bean bed. 

[mr plasma]

did you edge the paths with boards or just laid the straw on the ground,also have you put a weed suppressing membrane underneath?

[grawrc]

God SS I wish my lads could learn it! ::)

[supersprout]

anne, it was a matter of survival! :P

did you edge the paths with boards or just laid the straw on the ground,also have you put a weed suppressing membrane underneath?

no boards - slug hotels IMO 8) just marked out with string - beds plump up and paths tread down with time
weeds suppressed with newspaper and straw: http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/component/option,com_smf/Itemid,91/topic,22058.msg219275#msg219275
:)

[OliveOil]

Or in my case, dug down about 3-4 inches, removed soil onto the beds and just laid the straw out and will just top up as and when... so string, no paper... very basic here in Lincolnshire LOL

[grawrc]

Where do you get all the straw from?

[OliveOil]

paid £1.50 a bale down the road at a village... just look out for a farm with bales stored and 9 times out of 10 they will sell it...  The place i get it from advertised potatos and fresh eggs but i saw all the straw and hay and just asked!

1 bale did about 30 m of path... the other bale will finish it and then i'll get one more bale in for the chooks and for top ups over the winter!

[supersprout]

that's the going rate here too anne, £1.50/bale
I saw a huge pile of 'spent' straw bales plonked in a farmer's field on one drive, and pottered around the deserted farmyard looking for someone to ask if I could take some. The very next day I drove past again to have another go and there was a pile of cinders :o :'( :'( :'(

[supersprout]

fabulous sunny days here yesterday and today, couldn't wait to get plotting and no.1 son said he would help  ::)

we cleared out the greenhouse, ditto squash and tomato beds, made three more beds on the new plot, shifted 2 tons of woodchips onto the paths, pruned JAs to stumps, harvested one of the JAs, leeks, parsnip, parsley and sage (more sage pesto!), planted 140 garlic, some shallots and broadies, and have enough stalky stuff to look forward to a bonnie soon.

when I say 'we' you know who I mean (mostly) :-[

I reckon it takes 2 tons of woodchips over membrane to make a top rate path 1m wide for a 20m plot. And another ton possibly every other year to top up as the beds rise. Couldn't possibly afford it without the Council's help delivering the stuff, or get it shifted without Mr Muscle :P

[grawrc]

Can I borrow him? Just for a weekend? To show my lazy plonkers how it's done? ;)
Did I tell you we have chatted on MSN - me and Will? I thought it was you of course until he disillusioned me. A charming young man. And clearly a pathbreaker!! ;D ;D

[kt.]

havnt used straw for paths. used old patio slabs. got them free from a chap i know who lays driveways. he gave me some old ones. saved them from the skip, him paying for disposal and me buying any. maintenence free. lottie looks good and evenly divided into 4 seperate areas for planning. ;)

[supersprout]

thank you for the compliment anne, I've passed it on to Will :D glad you enjoyed passing the time with him in msn
chums say he's a tribute to the chaos of his upbringing :P ::)
SSxx

[timelady]

Paths... what a good idea! I'm new to all this so thanks for the inspiration. If you use paving slabs, is it still good to put membrane underneath? I might be able to get some slabs (or ceramic, a friend of mine does garden stuff and is giving me failed pieces) and also have access to some builder's sand for free too, would that do me any good under slabs or boards?

Ta,
Tina.
artist-allotment.blogspot.com

[OliveOil]

My crooked paths :)

:o

[supersprout]

:o your byee-oo-tiful paths!
not much wind shelter there OO - but the straw hasn't spread into the next county?
hope you are enjoying dancing about the plot in slippers ;D

hi timelady, IMO paths are the backbone of a plot, so worth laying weed suppressing membrane if you can afford it or scrounge it. but as OO has shown just do something - heavy mulch renewed when it thins will do the trick :)
impermanent paths like OO's mean that you can move/dig in as you adjust the layout of the plot in the light of experience. It might be kinder to following plotholders too ::)

[OliveOil]

Nope the straw hasnt blown away and no complaints from the other lotty holders!

It really is amazing how you can suddenly start planning your plot once you have some lines in... Now i have my onion beds sorted, brassicas, peas/beans and root veg sorted... still leaves an awful lot of space to fill but i have my fruit bushes and millions of squash to fit in next year LOL...

it also means the kids have a mini bed each which is marked out and they have a manageable area to work!

[supersprout]

It really is amazing how you can suddenly start planning your plot once you have some lines in...

yes, is is! :D

someone asked me if the mulch would go squidgy in winter - I don't know because this is the first year I've mulched this heavily. So far so good though :)