When I got the first half of my allotment I made beds and paths. I used reclaimed timber which was a lot of 3x2 (or something close to that in metric dimensions).
That was 12 years ago and the timber has given up in many places.
The paths receive the stones from digging over the very stoney soil. They are now fairly well covered.
For background, the second half, which I got a year later I use in open field style.
The question is:- is it worth spending money to restore the position and define the edges or not?
Your views would be welcome.
Edging my beds
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Westi
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Hi Stephen,
Just trying to visualise what you are saying but thinking if the stones are embedded in the soil on the paths & secure then you have the beds all defined by them so do you need to replace the edging? If not totally embedded then that could be something you could continue to work on, which if you are still digging them up you could just push the right stone in the right gap to make an even surface to walk/wheel on.
Just trying to visualise what you are saying but thinking if the stones are embedded in the soil on the paths & secure then you have the beds all defined by them so do you need to replace the edging? If not totally embedded then that could be something you could continue to work on, which if you are still digging them up you could just push the right stone in the right gap to make an even surface to walk/wheel on.
Westi
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oldherbaceous
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Evening Stephen, if you have no wooden edging, would the soil from the beds keep getting into the stones, making it a real pain to weed.....I suppose a lot depends if your soil is higher than the stone paths...
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.
There's no fool like an old fool.
There's no fool like an old fool.
I would take all the wood out and burn it - the beds may try to spread a bit, but could you not bank them up regularly? Wooden edges, especially rotten ones, are nobbut dormitories for slugs, snails and woodlice.
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Stephen
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Thank you all.
Monika - that is a very good point. Thank you.
Westi + OH - Everything is, more or less, level, there is some build up in the beds as I add material. The compost rots down but obviously for a long while adds depth. The paths, although we laid weed-supressing sheet down, are certainly a haven for weeds, as some soil has infiltrated the gaps between the stones. I confess, this is an area I spray each spring.
Monika - that is a very good point. Thank you.
Westi + OH - Everything is, more or less, level, there is some build up in the beds as I add material. The compost rots down but obviously for a long while adds depth. The paths, although we laid weed-supressing sheet down, are certainly a haven for weeds, as some soil has infiltrated the gaps between the stones. I confess, this is an area I spray each spring.
Nothing is foolproof to a sufficiently talented fool.