Permanent Paths?

[so lucky]

Steve's comment about permanent paths causing problems when he plants peas got me to wondering how many of us have permanent paths through the garden?
I suppose if you have a no-till system, the idea of permanent paths makes a lot more sense. I think I ended up using the rows that I double-dug last fall, for paths this year! Nothing like trying to make it harder on myself.
I'm pretty sure I am going to do something this fall to insure that I use the same paths next spring.
There is a lot of wasted space in my garden this year. I guess I expected the tomatoes to take up more room. They are sparse and not very productive. I have used compost, fertilizer, N-R-Gize, Epsom salts, fish emulsion. (No, not fertilizer burned) Not having much good to say about the heirlooms yet.
I guess I need to just start a thread to gripe in, cause it seems I have a lot to gripe about this afternoon.
Back to the original thought: Do you have permanent paths in your garden?

 

[baymule]

My garden is in beds between the sidewalk and driveway, in a flower bed in front of the house and a narrow strip on the other side of the driveway. My paths are bricked walkways 3-4 feet wide from the sidewalk to the driveway. IBut since we are moving, I'll have slot of space to garden in. But you make a good point about permanent paths. I'll have to think on that one.....

 

[ninnymary]

This year I created a flagstone path thru my shade garden. It's one of the best things I've done. The children love walking through there and being surrounded by tall (for them) plants on each side. Looks kind of like a secret way.

I also have planks seperating my 4' wide beds. I walk on these very carefully so as not to compact the soil.

I have recently also placed another flagstone path behind my perennial bed to get back there to pick my raspberries. The kids also love it because it seems kind of secret.

I suppose they are not really permanent since you can easily lift them but for me they are.

Mary

 

[digitS']

I need to till my permanent paths. They are growing a good deal of purslane again. Plant covered! How un-pathlike.

One problem with permanent paths are the permanent beds in between them. Some plants don't fit very well in a 4' bed.

The tractor guy used to mess up my beds and paths where he tilled. The guy who did the work last year was a bit more concerned about doing what I wanted. He had a 5' tiller and tires about 1' wide. Tilling the 4' beds with 2' paths worked pretty darn well! It didn't take too much shovel and rake work to get things back where they were.

Steve

 

[Smart Red]

Because I have raised beds, I have permanent walkways in my veggie garden. They are no bigger than necessary to get the mower and the wheelbarrow through -- barely. It turned out to be more work getting those tools around the fencing than I had anticipated.

Right now I mow, but I think I would prefer paths that don't need any care -- black landscape cloth and straw?

 

[journey11]

In the main garden, no. That's something else I like about my raised beds....the soil I've amended and improved (and don't walk on to compress) is the good soil, not wasted in the paths.

 

[PhilaGardener]

I've got 4 ft wide raised beds separated by 2 ft wide walkways. For the moment, it's groundcloth and mulch but as I pick stones out of the beds, that's where they go!