I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side of
the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes that I
will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side of
the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes that I
will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

I used to have a problem under a high wooden deck, where nothing would
grow and the rain would splash red mud against the siding. It was a
mess. I used an idea from a state park. Used 6x6 PT timbers and
drilled 2 or 3 1/2" holes in each timber to drive rebar sections. The
rebar sections were driven into the ground at 90 degrees. I used a
penetrating stain matching the deck. I laid down landscaping fabric
and filled it with crushed limestone. It has been there for over 14
years and still looks great and no more mud splashing. Critters
don't like walking on the gravel either. Driving wooden stakes into
the ground won't last long as rebar.

On 10/02/09 16:25, Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side of
the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes that I
will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

I used to have a problem under a high wooden deck, where nothing would
grow and the rain would splash red mud against the siding. It was a
mess. I used an idea from a state park. Used 6x6 PT timbers and
drilled 2 or 3 1/2" holes in each timber to drive rebar sections. The
rebar sections were driven into the ground at 90 degrees. I used a
penetrating stain matching the deck. I laid down landscaping fabric
and filled it with crushed limestone. It has been there for over 14
years and still looks great and no more mud splashing. Critters
don't like walking on the gravel either. Driving wooden stakes into
the ground won't last long as rebar.

What is a rebar section?

Ed

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DE75.30304@directory...
What is a rebar section?

Hi Ed,
rebar is a concrete reinforcement bar, the metal rods they use to reinforce
large pours of concrete in wall and bridges and the like. I picked up lots
of pieces of rebar trimmings around construction sites for use in my
gardens.

There are some people in this group who strongly feel that unless you do
everything in your garden precisely engineered to last the next 200 years
and require a carting service to freight your materials you aren't doing it
properly. I disagree. I had a neighbor who used his empty beer bottles
pushed willy nilly into the dirt to line paths, whatever, it worked for him.
There were days when I'd see him on the ground resetting the beer
bottles....while he drank another cold one. I realize there's plenty of
people who think he should have mortared them in using all sorts of formulas
and exact techniques, set up elaborate alignment and holding mechanisms or
wouldn't even consider the bottles in their gardens at all.

Yes, your original idea will work.....for awhile anyway. Yes, you can pound
those stakes into the ground and screw the side boards to them. It probably
won't last more than a few years but it will work. I used rebar as the
stakes to hold 1x6 boards on path edging, one bar in the middle and one on
each end on the opposite side of the up ended board. Instead of landscape
cloth I used thick layers of wet newspaper and discarded carpet scraps
putting them down backside up and covering with wood chips. The frame
contained the wood chips just fine. They didn't float anywhere and we get
buckets of rain in Seattle. I happened to use this method and materials
because it's what I had at the time. It worked fine just as yours will work
just fine. As my garden evolved so did I and the construction projects.

And Ed, if it doesn't work out quite as you expected, who cares! Stand back,
see what went wrong, what you have handy to fix it so it works for you.
There really aren't any garden police you know

Val

"Val" wrote in message
...

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DE75.30304@directory...

I had a neighbor who used his empty beer bottles pushed willy nilly into
the dirt to line paths, whatever, it worked for him. There were days when
I'd see him on the ground resetting the beer bottles....while he drank
another cold one.

I bet he lived in a trailer park in Texas. LOL

"Jangchub" wrote:
For that matter, they sell moulds for concrete which resemble stone
and one bag of concrete makes about 3x3' or somewhat less, but in that
area.

Doesn't really pay to make your own... it's plenty cheap enough at
Loews/HomeDepot, and much better quality concrete than what you can prepare
yourself. Only difficult part is to haul it home, but still way less
laborious than preparing your own.

"Jangchub" wrote in message
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:41:48 GMT, "brooklyn1"
wrote:
"Val" wrote in message
...

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DE75.30304@directory...

I had a neighbor who used his empty beer bottles pushed willy nilly into
the dirt to line paths, whatever, it worked for him. There were days
when
I'd see him on the ground resetting the beer bottles....while he drank
another cold one.

I bet he lived in a trailer park in Texas. LOL


I live in a beautiful area in Austin, TX and I have one of my beds
lined with upside down bottles.

Bottles pushed into the soil as an edging are very traditional in cottage
gardens. I'm delighted to hear that this historic and frugal practice is
still in use. Bottles are also an extremely tough and environmentally
friendly edging.

On 10/02/09 21:31, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DD9F.1050906@directory...
On 10/02/09 15:40, Jangchub wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side of
the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes that I
will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

What's the length of this path? Cast concrete edging is available in many
configurations and colors but will cost more than wood and is more laborious
to install but is probably a best choice for durability and aesthetic value.
If your path is not of any great length and/or money is no object then you
may want to consider natural stone (coblestones are nice). If you use a
thick layer of mulch and the path is trodden regularly you won't need the
fabric.



The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even
as I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.

Ed

Ed said:

The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even
as I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.


How permanent do you want this path to be?

For my vegetable garden, the paths are leveled sections covered by
a heavy-duty woven nursery fabric. For an example only, see:
http://btgrowersupply.stores.yahoo.net/grouncovfab.html

This needs to be broomed off in the spring but has lasted for years.
(Before I bought this, I used strips of old carpet I'd salvaged to make
my paths,)

Fabric can be taken up and moved very easily. And it's no problem
to wheel a garden cart or hand truck over the fabric paths.


For a permanent path (and not considering expenses for the moment)
I've set in one stretch of concrete pavers on a thick sand base, and
used plastic edging to contain the pavers. Something like in this example:
http://www.pavetech.com/paveedge/report.shtm

This involved using some heavy machinery to tamp down the sand for
sub-base and set the pavers into a

Under a tree (where I could not do the full excavation needed to lay
a proper base for pavers) I have a less formal path made from hand
compacted paver base with large flagstones set in it. This is not
quite flat and smooth, but it's still easy to roll a cart down it.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

After enlightenment, the laundry.

email valid but not regularly monitored

for better results:
change user name to 'kiewicz'
change domain name to 'comcast.net'

On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 20:07:17 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

On 10/02/09 16:25, Phisherman wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side of
the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes that I
will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

I used to have a problem under a high wooden deck, where nothing would
grow and the rain would splash red mud against the siding. It was a
mess. I used an idea from a state park. Used 6x6 PT timbers and
drilled 2 or 3 1/2" holes in each timber to drive rebar sections. The
rebar sections were driven into the ground at 90 degrees. I used a
penetrating stain matching the deck. I laid down landscaping fabric
and filled it with crushed limestone. It has been there for over 14
years and still looks great and no more mud splashing. Critters
don't like walking on the gravel either. Driving wooden stakes into
the ground won't last long as rebar.

What is a rebar section?

Ed

You can purchase rebar lengths at Home Depo or Lowes in the building
materials section. I used the 2-foot lengths, very inexpensive. You
can buy longer lengths and cut with a hack saw.

"FarmI" ask@itshall be given wrote in message
...
"Jangchub" wrote in message
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 23:41:48 GMT, "brooklyn1"
wrote:
"Val" wrote in message
...

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DE75.30304@directory...

I had a neighbor who used his empty beer bottles pushed willy nilly
into
the dirt to line paths, whatever, it worked for him. There were days
when
I'd see him on the ground resetting the beer bottles....while he drank
another cold one.

I bet he lived in a trailer park in Texas. LOL


I live in a beautiful area in Austin, TX and I have one of my beds
lined with upside down bottles.

Bottles pushed into the soil as an edging are very traditional in cottage
gardens. I'm delighted to hear that this historic and frugal practice is
still in use. Bottles are also an extremely tough and environmentally
friendly edging.
Won't work where the ground freezes, they'll heave up.

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:499292E3.9050303@directory...
On 10/02/09 21:31, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DD9F.1050906@directory...
On 10/02/09 15:40, Jangchub wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side
of the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes
that I will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed

What's the length of this path? Cast concrete edging is available in
many configurations and colors but will cost more than wood and is more
laborious to install but is probably a best choice for durability and
aesthetic value. If your path is not of any great length and/or money is
no object then you may want to consider natural stone (coblestones are
nice). If you use a thick layer of mulch and the path is trodden
regularly you won't need the fabric.

The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even as
I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.

Ed

Depending on the weight in the barrow it may not push easily on mulch. For
such a small path (only 50' X 3' = a mere 150 sq ft) I'd seriously consider
some sort of pavers.

On 11/02/09 13:14, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:499292E3.9050303@directory...
On 10/02/09 21:31, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DD9F.1050906@directory...
On 10/02/09 15:40, Jangchub wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either side
of the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6" stakes
that I will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them in.
Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed
What's the length of this path? Cast concrete edging is available in
many configurations and colors but will cost more than wood and is more
laborious to install but is probably a best choice for durability and
aesthetic value. If your path is not of any great length and/or money is
no object then you may want to consider natural stone (coblestones are
nice). If you use a thick layer of mulch and the path is trodden
regularly you won't need the fabric.
The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even as
I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.

Ed

Depending on the weight in the barrow it may not push easily on mulch. For
such a small path (only 50' X 3' = a mere 150 sq ft) I'd seriously consider
some sort of pavers.




Yeah , I think you are probably right.

So, based on the advice given here, I am minded to use 8ft (or 10ft) x
6 inch x 1 inch wooden gravel board planks to contain the path which I
will cover with anti-weed fabric and then lay concrete slabs (pavers) on
top spaced about 6 inches apart.

Think that should do the business?

Ed

"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4992DFAF.9020408@directory...
On 11/02/09 13:14, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:499292E3.9050303@directory...
On 10/02/09 21:31, brooklyn1 wrote:
"Ed" ex@directory wrote in message news:4991DD9F.1050906@directory...
On 10/02/09 15:40, Jangchub wrote:
On Tue, 10 Feb 2009 15:11:50 +0000, Ed ex@directory wrote:

I want to put a path down the centre of my allotment and contain it
within a wooden framework.

I am thinking of using long lengths of gravel boards, on either
side of the path, that are 6" x 1" and screwing these onto 2ft 6"
stakes that I will hammer into the ground. Is this a good way to
go?

The stakes are 2" x 2" and I am thinking of cutting the ends to a 45
degree angle so as to ease them into the ground when I hammer them
in. Is this good or would a shallower angle be better?

Ed
What's the length of this path? Cast concrete edging is available in
many configurations and colors but will cost more than wood and is more
laborious to install but is probably a best choice for durability and
aesthetic value. If your path is not of any great length and/or money
is no object then you may want to consider natural stone (coblestones
are nice). If you use a thick layer of mulch and the path is trodden
regularly you won't need the fabric.
The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even
as I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.

Ed

Depending on the weight in the barrow it may not push easily on mulch.
For such a small path (only 50' X 3' = a mere 150 sq ft) I'd seriously
consider some sort of pavers.




Yeah , I think you are probably right.

So, based on the advice given here, I am minded to use 8ft (or 10ft) x 6
inch x 1 inch wooden gravel board planks to contain the path which I will
cover with anti-weed fabric and then lay concrete slabs (pavers) on top
spaced about 6 inches apart.

Think that should do the business?


You don't need cloth under the pavers, it won't dry so will quickly rot
away, and it won't do anything for the pavers anyway. But 3-4 inches of
compacted sand would make a good base.

Can't remember where I read it, but a French recipe for public parks in clay
areas is to mix some chalk (or lime) and sand with the clay. This produces a
fairly hard but permeable surface.

Does anyone have more precise information?

Regards


"Pat Kiewicz" a écrit dans le message de news:
...
Ed said:

The path is 50 ft long x 3 ft wide. The surface should be fairly even
as I want to be able to push a wheelbarrow along without much effort.


How permanent do you want this path to be?

For my vegetable garden, the paths are leveled sections covered by
a heavy-duty woven nursery fabric. For an example only, see:
http://btgrowersupply.stores.yahoo.net/grouncovfab.html

This needs to be broomed off in the spring but has lasted for years.
(Before I bought this, I used strips of old carpet I'd salvaged to make
my paths,)

Fabric can be taken up and moved very easily. And it's no problem
to wheel a garden cart or hand truck over the fabric paths.


For a permanent path (and not considering expenses for the moment)
I've set in one stretch of concrete pavers on a thick sand base, and
used plastic edging to contain the pavers. Something like in this
example:
http://www.pavetech.com/paveedge/report.shtm

This involved using some heavy machinery to tamp down the sand for
sub-base and set the pavers into a

Under a tree (where I could not do the full excavation needed to lay
a proper base for pavers) I have a less formal path made from hand
compacted paver base with large flagstones set in it. This is not
quite flat and smooth, but it's still easy to roll a cart down it.

--
Pat in Plymouth MI

After enlightenment, the laundry.

email valid but not regularly monitored

for better results:
change user name to 'kiewicz'
change domain name to 'comcast.net'