[chickpeacurry]

Thinking about the sides running around the beds bushes and srubs.  Having problems with weeds and wondering about bark.  There are a few fruit trees and bushes. If we put a suppressant of bark down should we put the black suppressant material underneath. We are finding the planted area are enough to weed and trying to reduce weeding at the sides.  Any other ideas thanks





title edit for search purposes

[cadalot]

I don't get as many weeds in my paths as my brother in law and I have the weed membrane under my woodchips and he doesn't 

[Wigglesworth12]

I would definitely recommend that you put down weed membrane. It saves so much time, and any weeds that do root in the path are easy to pull out. One negative is that the woodchip will rot down if natural and chickens love to rummage in it to find bugs.

[allotmentann]

I have done all my paths with woodchips. I use at least two to three layers under the chips. Whatever I can get hold of, usually a couple of layers of thick plastic, topped by weed membrane, then the chips. I have done this for the same reason as you. My time at the plot is precious and I don't want to spend it all maintaining paths. It does really help to keep the weeds down and just needs topping up now and again. Used without membrane it is not nearly as effective, birds and animals scrabble in it and leave bare patches of exposed soil and anything that does root in it, can send down deep roots. 

[Beetroot queen]

Four years on and i am going to be the different one. I love our path ways, pics in my diary but we have three layers of weed fabric down and woodchips and the weeds do still come through. Infact i spend more time weeding path ways than beds. We get a lot less now in the beds but the path ways still suffer. I pull them by hand or hoe but i am also aware our paths need topping up which isnt helping. Just dont seem to ever get a spare 60 quid 

[arugula]

You've said woodchip in your title but talk about bark in your post.

I'd go for bark over woodchip and yes put a membrane down under it as either will just disappear into the ground, woodchip almost instantly as it is so small.

Also, if using woodchips particularly from conifers as opposed to bark, there are different schools of thought on whether there is a plant damaging amount of acidity leaching from these and some prefer to keep them well away from plants.