paths

[denise]

I am newish to my allotment plot, signed up for it last June, not been able to get there due to doctors orders to rest since september, so I have at last marked out my beds on the lotty, i have 7 beds 5fy by 11ft, with paths on 3 sides, all fine so far I think i know where i am going with these, feels good to be back in action - BUT - the paths i cant think of a cheap solution for these. The plot is on a steep slope so they need to be safe for mountain goats (thats what I feel at times when working), carpet is out - have just been moaned at about the cardboard I put down.

I am stuck please please help

Thank you

[buttercup]

hi denise!
im in the same position at the mo!
cant think at all what will be the best thing to use.
i was thinking of laying down sticks or wood offcuts across the paths for grip, because i heard gravel would make your barrow sink and get stuck.
everything is on a budget so what ever i decide to use has to be salvaged from skips ect. but another idea is bricks, i found a skip full of broken up bricks the other day an have only just thought of something to do with them. you could lay them down as paths i suppose.
basicaly use whatever you find. i doesnt have to be pretty, as long as it does the job!
anyone have any other ideas, and i would be very grateful too!
cheers buttercup x x

[Nicos]

Why not just let the grass grow and cut it - maybe incorperating the odd step?
We have grass and cut it once a fortnight.
You can pick up hand pushed mowers at car boot sales for not a lot of £.
Or buy a cheap 2nd hand strimmer ( ? birthday pressie??)and easier than mowing!
Both are cheaper than buying membranes/bark/stones etc.
Beware that paving slabs can be slippy if wet/muddy/slimy

[Snadger]

It depends on whatever you can get your hands on cheaply or for nowt!

On my old allotment I just had wood chippings on top of compacted earth. The local council drop them off now and again at the allotments entrance and it's just a case of being there at the right time before everyone else arrives with there barrows and snaffles them!
I started off by using old fertiliser bags with the wood chippings on top but found it was better laying them direct on the soil where they give a better 'grip'. If the odd weed tries to poke it's head through it's an easy enough job to yank it out!

On my new allotment I have access to sand which I intend laying on top of any plastic I can scrounge i.e. fertiliser bags, membrane, old polythene etc.

Should give the lottie a rather 'Seaside' look or I could rake it for a Japanese garden look!

In essence, let your imagination have no bounds and experiment with whatever you can get your paws on!

PS Can't see a problem with upside down carpet as a base and you could add whatever you liked to diguise it. If the paths are permanent, any nasties in the carpet won't affect the bedsoil!

[Two_Sheds]

In Brighton we had grass paths, but they were a pain to keep mowed. Now we have bark chippings on top of earth: we sweet-talked the local council worker to drop his bark chippings and lawn mowings on our Lottie site rather than wherever he was dumping them. I also have paving slabs as the odd stepping stone and they're great.

[Alice]

You could try your local council for wood chippings, or do you know where you could get some straw.