I have made paths by laying down newspaper and cardboard, with woodchips on top. This has worked well for 18 months, stifling the grasses and weeds below. Today I visited the allotment after 3 weeks abroad to find the paths completely destroyed. Something has dug them up and tossed around the various layers into chaotic heaps.
It cannot be human action, as who would bother? The beds themselves are undisturbed after my weeding and raking before I left. What animal is so fascinated by these materials that it digs them up so frantically during September, after ignoring them previously? And leaves no footprints on the beds? I am completely baffled.
Any ideas?
Now that the paths are destroyed yet weedless (almost) I am thinking of digging them up and joining the beds together. There seems little point in restoring the paths with more newspaper and woodchips if this is likely to happen again....
Could it be badgers perhaps?
Badger, the cardboard is keeping the ground under neath damp, hence
there are worms under the cardboard. So our friend "brock" is digging to find his evening meal.
any footprints????
No, no footprints at all. Just chaotically destroyed paths and unblemished, raked beds.
Badger digging for worms....that sounds plausible. It must be something quite strong, judging by the depth dug and the heaps of soil. The allotment is in a large rough field surrounded by tall hedges and mature trees, so plenty of opportunities for hidden sets.
Maybe I am luckier than I think. If I rake up the half rotted newspaper and cardboard and dump it on compost heaps, the soil below would be easily turned over after the badger attack.
Having been away most of September I don't know what the weather has been like, but my impression is that it has been rather dry here in the South East, East Sussex. Any confirmation from others near Battle and Hastings? If it has been dry, it might explain badgers looking for worms under the paths but ignoring the dried out beds, perhaps.
Dunno about that part, but it's been really dry in Birmingham for some time, at least up to about a week ago. Badgers dig for worms, are extremely strong for their size, and the wouldn't have found many worms in your beds recently. So that probably is the answer.
Yep hardly any rain at all here in Sussex. The only day I can think of was last Sun night/Mon morn. Other than that a few spits and spots. Had to water my plot last week it was getting so dry.
We had torrents a few nights back.
What about foxes?
Nah! It usually rains cats and dogs, not foxes Tinshed! ;) :P
Foxes could be a possibility, as worms are part of their diet and they will dig. This sounds like a greater degree of mayhem than they're likely to cause though. Badgers are the stronger of the two, and dig more.
"greater degree of mayhem"
is a great way to put it. I've been too busy since that brief visit to go back yet, but I can't decide what to do about these paths. If I restore them, the badgers might dig them up again, and besides, it's so much work carrying all the newspaper and cardboard and laying it out all over again.
If I dig them up, now that there are no weeds and the badgers have started the work, I lose my vision of long narrow beds divided by paths.
They're unlikely to bother now the wet weather has arrived; there are going to be plenty of worms about for them.