Paths…Slate…Compost…or Wood Chips…???

[Madame ScarecrowParticipant]

Bonjour Mesdames et Messieurs…Ca Va…???

I have been making a totally No Dig garden, which is made up of several large beds (now 67 tonne of manure and compost used and still more on the way…!!!…and yes my back does ‘urt as all has been put down one barrow load at a time)…

I am debating what to use for the paths betwixt which I have already covered with cardboard..

Options available,….

Slate….broken up or whole (I have over 2000 old slates)….Roof tiles broken up….Compost or Woodchips or whatabout Sawdust..or someat else…all ideas welcome please.

Thanking you all in anticipation

Madame Scarecrow

[DinoParticipant]

I would go with more compost, it’s usually pretty clean to walk on and leaves no harbourage for slugs, whereas all the nooks and crannies in slate would probably be a haven for them in our damp part of the world. Wood chips would probably be fine too, but it seems like you’ve no problem getting hold of compost if you’ve just spread 67t of it! It also means you don’t need to add any sides to your beds, which keeps cost down and the plants roots will draw goodness from the paths as well as the beds.

[charlesModerator]

Well said Dino. I am impressed by that tonnage.
Above all Madame, I would not put slates or tiles: they add no goodness and get in the way.
Woody materials are far better, small pieces preferably. They last a while and add fungi and food to the paths, and ultimately feed your veg.

[charlesModerator]

Well said Dino. I am impressed by that tonnage.
Above all Madame, I would not put slates or tiles: they add no goodness and get in the way.
Woody materials are far better, small pieces preferably. They last a while and add fungi and food to the paths, and ultimately feed your veg.

[charlesModerator]

Well said Dino. I am impressed by that tonnage.
Above all Madame, I would not put slates or tiles: they add no goodness and get in the way.
Woody materials are far better, small pieces preferably. They last a while and add fungi and food to the paths, and ultimately feed your veg.

[Madame ScarecrowParticipant]

Bonsoir Mesdames et Messieurs,

Oh dear, I may of did it wrong then Charles…’cause in advance of a reply and I really wanted to get done with the 2nd garden, sooooooooooo I went and used just a 4/5 inch layer of compost for the tracks bewixt the beds…I heeded Dino’s kind advice re slugs etc and didnay lay the slates or tiles…I did put cardboard under then rolled it alot with a hand pull roller….

Should I roll the veg patches with the roller ’cause they are awful ”fluffy”…???

Just one more garden to go and then it will be all done…Phew…!!!

I is about droppin’ now after all that tonnage of compost and manure but I really really wish to be finished for Lent which coincides nicely with the start of your (Charles) Diary..(14th February)..Which, I might add, is a jolie excellent read, and very well laid out…If you haven’t already treated yoursen to a copy then I hightly recommend it…I have decided to only ”follow” one mentor re the gardens, with possibily only a side glance at others (namely Morag Gamble and possibly Curtis Stone,) otherwise I will get nought done but watch Youtube videos…

Please note I have gone quite high in places with the compost, all after about 6-8inches of well danced on cow manure…!!!…I did this to add a wee bit of interest as the this second garden is real flat and boring…Now I have given mesen another problem namely what to plant on the edges/banks…All ideas welcome please…

I might add that I seem to be creating alot of interest locally because the world and his wife is visitin’ daily just to see what is happening…me thinks it is the smell of all that manure that is attracting them…Soo I have set up a wee shop of bought in organic veg to see if I can drum up a wee bit of trade in advance of havin’ me own ‘stuff’ to sell.

Me planification is to have each bed a melange/mix of veg, flowers, herbs and fruit and stay away from one bed one veg idea…I really want the whole garden to be eye sweet…If I manage that I will be truly happy…

[Author]

Posts