Are Paths a waste of space?

[bario1]

Permanent paths are great, I like not having to put wellies on, even in wet weather. Having said that, I'm trying to make my paths a bit more 'fluid' with lazy beds and less of a grid shape, and some shrubs and perennials dotted about (that's what's in my mind, anyway - what i have right now resembles a building site).

[Super Sprout]

This has got me thinking, and apologies for hijacking the thread with another question.

Once you have earthed up your potatoes a couple of times, could the long spaces between rows be used to grow crops such as lettuce, raddish, etc? Is this usual practice and I'm just not aware of it being a complete novice.

Many thanks!

PS - on my new plot I do not have raised beds and I have left un-dug 18" strips of earth, splitting the plot into 4 rectangles, to walk on. I was going to grass these strips over, but with the lack of rain the ground is rock hard and looks uninviting for anything to grow on.

[Thelma Sanders]

could the long spaces between rows be used to grow crops such as lettuce, raddish, etc? Is this usual practice

Some of the old boys do so, but they (the crops not the OBs ) have to be extremely quick growing, as the potato tops soon meet over the tops.

[Super Sprout]

Some of the old boys do so, but they (the crops not the OBs ) have to be extremely quick growing, as the potato tops soon meet over the tops.

Thanks Thelma I hadn't thought of that! I knew there must have been a reason that I'd not seen it done before

[Deano's "Diggin It"]

Just idly thinking aloud here Feel free to join me!

I've been digging docks out of a woodchipped path and the soil in the path is better than that in the adjacent bed

Ya Know What! One of the "Old Boy's" on the plot says he actually "Riddles" his path chippings to grow his "Tom's" as it as better structure n fertility!

[mic]

how about this? never waste floor space again

[bario1]

Raised paths instead of raised beds... now there's an idea!

[1Bee]

I like paths for lots of reasons. Somewhere I can walk and kneel without balancing, or worrying I'm kicking/treading on something. Somewhere to show to the boys what's okay to walk on and what's not (in the early days, when we visited the plot, I'd hold hands with my eldest and we'd do a ritual walk around the plot on the paths to remind ourselves what was path and what was bed.) Something to divide the space up into units my brain can get its head round.

I'm not evangelical about it, though. Of the seven properly active veg plots on our site, I'm the only one with beds and paths. Three have no paths and cultivate in rows and three have one central path and cultivate in rows either side of that.

I like them all.

[Jay-ell]

Having defined paths and beds is also a big "DON'T WALK ON THE BEDS" to certain family members who have a habit of strolling across seed beds going "but there's nothing in it" no matter how many times you tell them not to.

[Snadger]

OK mentally and physically I could not deal with digging and de weeding the whole allotment, I need an infrastructure, paths that are wide enough for me to kneel down in and divide my plot into 2.4 x 1.2m beds where possible and on one plot smaller beds against the wall and the sloping boundary.

However I grow stuff in square flower buckets and this year I'm planning wild flowers for the bees and other pollinators at the end of the paths on the boundary with my neighbours, so they can be moved if required. I also always grow my early spuds in flower buckets that live on the paved area

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73402[/ATTACH] Alans Allotment: Watering System For Spencer Road

Looking at my Spencer Road plot 43% is given over to paved area and paths but that includes the base to the greenhouse. In addition I'm installing a watering system so that each hose can cover four beds and the hose spur off the main run only has to be moved along the width of the paths so dragging it around does not cause any damage and its quick to water when I need too.

So for me paths are a must and the benefits outweigh the disadvantage of lost growing space.

Love the solution to the hose problem Cadders! I'll have to have a bit of a think and adapt the solution to my keyhole beds, and whole plot for that matter.
Do you leave the hoses in position at ll times and how do you disguise it? Was thinking main hoses burried along edge of plot or under paths and only one 4 metre length to attach to each draw off point fastened to a stake in corner of each bed.

[Cadalot]

The main run goes alongside the main path as there is a gap between the paving slabs and the beds that is filled with wood chip its held in place with galvanised tent pegs, and they surface at every other set of beds where the three way adapter is.

From there the hose is just long enough to extend across the path and just beyond the edge of the boundary. Each end has a nozzle on it, but I found even putting them away for the winter they leak the following year. So on the new plot I'm putting stop flow hoselok type ends on so I can just move the gun from hose to hose.

[Snadger]

The main run goes alongside the main path as there is a gap between the paving slabs and the beds that is filled with wood chip its held in place with galvanised tent pegs, and they surface at every other set of beds where the three way adapter is.

From there the hose is just long enough to extend across the path and just beyond the edge of the boundary. Each end has a nozzle on it, but I found even putting them away for the winter they leak the following year. So on the new plot I'm putting stop flow hoselok type ends on so I can just move the gun from hose to hose.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]73414[/ATTACH]

Not quite as neat and tidy as yours cadders but a quick plan with possible hose run in red and connector positions. A lot of them could be fastened to boundary fence for neatness.

[Cadalot]

Snadger where does your water come in from on the diagram, and is that the main distribution system with hoes off each blob / junction?

[Snadger]

Snadger where does your water come in from on the diagram, and is that the main distribution system with hoes off each blob / junction?

Water comes in bottom right. Each 'blob' would be a connector, hopefully.

From internal connector at gate (bottom right) there is 10 metre external to connect to the nearest tap.

[Jay-ell]

Snadger where does your water come

see this post for the answer
http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ml#post1531889