Content
Paths in the garden have always been part of landscape design, even if we were talking about tiny plots of 5 or 8 acres. They should be comfortable, beautiful and functional. But when it comes to the vegetable garden and the passages between the beds, most summer residents dream only that they will not be overgrown with grass, and that they will not have to endlessly weed the paths.
In fact, gardening should not only produce edible fruits in the form of vegetables and berries. It should also bring joy from the process itself, otherwise very soon it threatens to turn into a difficult and unbearable duty. Since people spend a significant part of their time in their gardens, the place where they are should be convenient for doing all the work: watering, weeding, pruning, fertilizing. As a rule, it is the passages between the beds that are the main workplace of any gardener. And arranging them so that it is as comfortable as possible to be there is no less important than arranging the beds themselves.
Permanent beds
The largest selection of options for preventing grass from growing on paths exists if you have a stationary vegetable garden with high beds, made, as they say, to last.
Any building materials that can be fixed to a concrete base are suitable for this: paving slabs, bricks, stone chips, stone tiles and others. You can also cast concrete paths using both ready-made forms and homemade formwork.
Such a garden will look very aesthetically pleasing, but most importantly, you can easily move along such paths in any inclement weather, it is easy to remove all kinds of debris from them and no plants will grow on them. weeds.
If all of the above seems too labor-intensive for you or you are afraid of large material costs, then the easiest option would be to make garden paths from crushed stone. This is the least expensive material, which at the same time looks very beautiful in the aisles between the beds. When preparing the paths, it is only necessary to first mow all the plants to zero, and then cover the passages with geotextiles. Only after this can crushed stone be poured on top. In this case, sprouted weeds on the paths will not threaten you.
Covering paths for a mobile garden
No matter how good stationary beds are, many people have not yet decided to link the fate of their garden with such structures and, in the old fashioned way, dig up the entire territory of the garden every fall, including the paths between the beds.Others, using the same beds year after year, still prefer not to build concrete paths, since in this case changes in the layout of the garden plot become almost unrealistic. Nevertheless, both of them want the passages between the beds not to be overgrown with grass, not to dirty their shoes, and to be convenient and comfortable to work on.
Therefore, the question “how to cover the paths between the beds from weeds?” stands out in all its poignancy.
Finished goods
At the moment, with the variety of gardening products, manufacturers could not lose such an important issue from their attention. Therefore, you can find on sale quite a variety of types of coatings specifically designed for these purposes. Of interest are special rubber tracks, which are available in different colors and sizes. They are frost-resistant, moisture-permeable, do not rot, and at the same time have a non-slip surface. Paths are a wonderful ready-made weed control material. According to the manufacturer, rubber tracks have a service life of 10 years with year-round use.
A good and inexpensive option when constructing paths between beds would be to use black agrofibre. In order to prevent the growth of weeds and to extend its service life, it is advisable to cover it with sand, sawdust or tree bark on top.
Walkways made from natural materials
A variety of natural materials are easy to use, they cost nothing, and paths made with their help look neat and practical. In addition, when they are used up, they can be easily disposed of along with the beds.
- The idea of covering the passages between the beds in the garden with straw, fallen leaves or mown grass is very popular among gardeners, especially in rural areas. This can be a very good option, but to prevent weeds from growing, it is necessary to make a minimum layer of such mulching of 10 cm.
- One of the most common options for laying paths in the garden is to sprinkle them with sawdust. It must be remembered that sawdust, especially from coniferous trees, tends to acidify the soil. Before sprinkling sawdust on paths, it is advisable to leave them to rest for a year. If you want to use them immediately, then treat them with urea and ash. This will help reduce the possible negative effect of placing them on the aisles between the beds.
- An even more aesthetically pleasing type of natural material for filling paths is tree bark. If you place it on top of any flat covering (film, fabric, cardboard), then you can use even a relatively small layer a few centimeters thick.
- Quite often, ordinary lawn is sown between the rows of garden beds. It is comfortable to walk on, and when well rooted, it prevents most weeds from germinating. The disadvantage of this method is the need for regular mowing of row spacing. But mowed grass can easily serve as additional mulch for planting in beds.
- In those places where spruce, fir and pine trees grow in large numbers, it is possible to use pine needles and even tree cones to fill the passages between the beds.
- Finally, a fairly simple way to create weed-proof paths between beds is to fill them with a thick layer of sand. Before you fill the walkways with sand, you need to place cardboard, magazines or newspapers down.Usually this method is enough for about one season.
Paths made from waste
Clever gardeners, thinking about the question “how to make the paths between the beds weed-free and comfortable?”, came up with many ways to use used things or what was left in the house from renovations that were once carried out as protective material.
For example, quite often paths are covered with ordinary linoleum.
The most original covering for a garden aisle is a path made from plastic bottle caps. It takes a lot of time and patience, but it looks almost like a work of art.
Often, pieces of roofing felt, glassine, or even old fiberboard are used to line the passages between the beds. Of course, they do not last very long, but 2-3 years may be enough. To not give weeds a chance, it is important to cover paths with these materials and cover them.
Interestingly, even old carpets and textile runners are used as a material to protect passages from weeds. After all, it is enough to cut their ribbons to the required width, and a luxurious path between the beds is provided.
Quite often, ordinary boards are used to construct paths in the garden. You can simply lay them on the ground, or you can build a real flooring out of them. Such paths look very aesthetically pleasing, but slugs and ants love to live under the boards.
Conclusion
There is truly no limit to the imagination and inventions of the Russian gardener, so it is possible that there are still many options for how to arrange paths between the beds in the garden.
No weeds grow through the roofing material.
I have had an old carpet lying in between the rows for three years now. Grass sprouts only where there are holes and sometimes crawls out along the edges of the beds, but it’s beautiful!
Weeds also grow well through sawdust
Grass grows very well through carpet paths
Oh, weeds grow through geotextiles, how 🙁