Allotment Plot Paths ?

[Spookyville]

We are just awaiting for official confirmation of our first plot - my first question is about paths between raised beds etc..!!

I guess the bark chippings are best, do you need some sort of membrane down underneath them? Also, do they blow away in the wind??

Thanks.

[Spookyville]

[asbean]

We've got grass.  Some of them grew sort of naturally, mixed with weeds, a couple I made up with grass seed and some are turfs from our local supplier.  The natural ones seem to grow less lushly as the turfs and seeded ones, and we keep them cut with a strimmer.  It's much kinder on the feet (I like to garden without shoes).

[caroline7758]

Lots of threads on this toopic- try this one:

http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/smf/index.php?topic=24911.0

[grawrc]

I've got grass paths on one plot and membrane and wood bark on the other. Grass is prettier but lots of work. It grows like blazes. The membrane ones are quite new. I don't have any problems with bark blowing away but it does spread a bit on to the beds. (I haven't edged the beds)

[kitten]

We put cardboard down with bark chippings on top but no edges.

The chippings don't blow away but as graw said they do seem to creep onto the beds over time.

In hindsight, i'd put edges in and loads more bark chips as we have  a considerable amount of weeds coming through, but it's mostly along the edges and where the cardboard runs out  :o and also we just didn't put it down thick enough.

Take a pic once you've done to show us all your hard work  ;)  ;D

[Trevor_D]

Yes, grass is hard work. On plot one, my beds aren't edged and the paths are grass. It looks good, but I'm forever trimming & edging. On plot two some of the beds are timber-edged, with bark paths between. The path area has been levelled, spread with sharp sand and covered with membrane; then the bark put down. It looks beautiful for a couple of years, then the bark degrades and the weeds spread in. You need to keep on top of it. We now scrape the bark off every 2 or 3 years and use it as a mulch on the beds and invest in some new stuff to put on the paths.

But I think you've got your priorities right Spooky: sort the paths out first. I was more concerned with getting the beds sorted and the paths are a pain!

[daisymay]

we have some that are old laminate flooring and some that are strips of old carpet! a lot of people go into a cold sweat when I say we have carpet paths, but they work well and are good for knealing on to pick and weed (quite handy when you are 8 months pregnant, like me!)

[antipodes]

I put down old carpet as my first resort because I needed to divide my plot quickly into different beds, but once I have a bit more time I am going to replace that with cardboard covered with wood pavers, so it looks a bit tidier (the cardboard hopefully will stop weeds). But it's true that carpet is nice and soft to kneel on! But it gets very scruffy quite quickly and until it settled down mine kept blowing all over the place!!