[wolveryeti]

Has anyone had any success following this approach?

Was thinking something like comfrey would absorb surplus nutrients before washing away and provide competition to weeds.

[Yorkie]

I am a little puzzled - do you mean planting the companion plants in the paths between raised beds?  If so, where would you walk?

[Subversive_plot]

I agree with Yorkie regarding the comfrey.

You can grow grass in your paths and keep it short with either a mower or trimmer.  You can compost any long grass clippings that accumulate after you cut.  That is what I'm doing.

[wolveryeti]

I am a little puzzled - do you mean planting the companion plants in the paths between raised beds?  If so, where would you walk?

Yes - you understand correctly. I guess you would just walk on them as normal. I am used to grass encroaching on my paths so don't see it would make that much difference...

[New shoot]

Comfrey will take a lot of punishment. I have it planted just outside my chicken run and they demolish it at every opportunity.  It stays low, but would be a lumpy bumpy surface to try and walk on.

What about something softer and lower growing?  Poached egg plants, lawn camomile, maybe creeping thyme in areas where it would not get stepped on continually.

[Yorkie]

I wouldn't want to be walking on comfrey stems - as New shoot says, the stumps won't be flat once you've done your first cut.