PATHS - HOW THEY FEED YOUR PLANTS AND HOW TO LOOK AFTER THEM

In this extract from his great new book, no-dig gardening guru Charles Dowding explains how paths not only help you to get around your plot but can increase yields too

- Charles Dowding

WHY BOTHER WITH PATHS AND BEDS?

Forty years ago, most gardeners grew on level ground, with plants in rows and walking space between. Then, gradually, raised beds made appearances in a few gardens. Nowadays beds are almost the default method, as their benefits are acknowledged.

Yet there has been less attention paid to the spaces between and around beds. I see time and money being spent on paths, and bed sides too, but without always the necessary understandings on how to maintain paths, and how the soil in paths can work for us.

Path characteristics:

They are permanent, same place every year.

Mulched soil in paths maintains structure, fertility and moisture – available to plant roots from the bed edges.

They are not just ‘ground to walk on’, but part of your growing space.

HOW PATHS RELATE TO BEDS

It is often assumed that beds are raised beds with sides, usually made of wood. If all of your beds are like this, and you wish to continue with sided beds, then you have different options for paths. This is because, for example, grass struggles to grow through a wooden plank! However, couch grass can sneak underneath, as we shall see.

Any grass path needs maintenance (mowing/cutting), and the roots will be feeding into soil at the bed edges, if not growing up into the beds. In preference to this, my advice is to achieve lower levels of maintenance. Most of this feature is about beds with only a slight raise and no sides, which I find the cheapest and quickest way to establish and maintain a growing area.

Much of the reason for having paths is the definition of space, and to make planning and access easier, and spacing of plants more intensive.