"Broadback" wrote in message
...
I am about to make quite a lot of path round my raised beds. I intend
laying weed suppressing fabric then pebbles on top. Apart from being
clear for walking it will (I trust) stop the weeds from the area
surrounding the beds migrating into the beds themselves. However
pebbles specifically for paths seems to me rather expensive, can I use
ordinary builders pebbles successfully? Also any ideas on quantity
required, for, say, a square meter?


Yes you can, its excellent. I went through this exercise a couple of years
ago. Builders usually supply 10 mm gravel for adding to concrete and a
larger 20 mm gravel. You will probably want the larger, but go and have a
look. You can buy it by the ton, which is not as much as it sounds. It
comes in a non returnable bag (big!) and should be delivered free if you are
not too far away. The cost will be £26 or just over. They do not weigh it,
a ton is just a big scoop by an excavator, so it is a bit variable. It is
probably about half a cubic meter, so you will get roughly 10 sq meters of
5cms depth (2"). It does not go as far as you think. I needed three tons
for an open area, I bought an initial single ton just to see how far it
would go. Ask at the yard, they will probably sell and deliver any amount
loose from half a ton.

I am very pleased with it. It is so much cheaper than buying by the bag and
it looks very good. An additional reason for this choice was that having a
fancy coloured gravel is like having a plain carpet. If you get leaves,
soil or loose stones on it, it will show up like a sore thumb. By contrast
the builders gravel is mottled and does not show.

Best of luck

Peter