[lightyears]

got a job lot of york flagstones off some bloke at the rec yard, now i have a loverly flagstone path. before i had woodchip that harbored all the weeds in the world

[Elcie]

I have raised beds and use wood chip in between them which we get delivered to the site free.  Underneath that is either empty compost sacks or weed suppresant material depending on what I had to hand.

[peterjf]

at the moment there are astro turf on e-bay, very cheap and long lasting

[Sweet Pea 2]

astro turf is quite tempting...

[Roll Roll]

I find it hard finding a path that dosn't harbour slugs.

[tode]

Wouldn't astro-turf turn into a horrible mess once it gets full of earth ?  And I would imagine that weeds would end up rooting in it, anyway ?

[noshed]

Yes. It happens with weed-suppressing stuff.

[viettaclark]

I use chickens. Feathered paths....?
No
The paths between my raised beds are compacted earth with a deep layer of bark. The chickens scratch it up and down, getting rid of weeds and sluggies and entertaining themselves (and me) at the same time.
Feathered paths! What nonsense.....

[pete1977]

I just asked a builder and he drops me flags/crazy paving/block paving etc. off when he's doing driveways new patios etc. He would have to pay to dispose of commercial waste so were all winners! - my main paths are made from a concrete sectional garage two foot wide 8 foot long sections heavy as hell but again all can be sourced free from freecycle or adtrader If you haven't got a friendly local builder

[lacewing]

I'm with Elcie, most plotholders in our site use wood chippings for paths. When the paths need topping up we ring the local council and they deliver a fresh load free of charge. The chippings are clean to walk on and keep the weeds down.

[Swing Swang]

Flagstones for permanent paths and earth, gravel boards and flag 'stepping stones' for the remainder. I'd also reccommend not laying any permanent paths for a least one full season because as you get to know your land you may well change your mind as to where they should go (I've said this before, so apologies for repetition).

SS

[strangerachael]

I've used old paving slabs found at the bottom of my garden and bits of crazy paving from a neighbour who was having  a new patio done. I have laid them across the plot as stepping stones. In hindsight I could have done with them being closer together (my legs are too short!) but I didn't quite have enough. In between them I'm growing dwarf lavender,  marigolds in the summer, poached egg plants etc. The main drawback is that you can't wheel a wheelbarrow across them. Along one edge by the hedge I have trodden down the earth and put bark chips down but I do get a lot of weeds in them unless I keep them raked up well. The path on the other side is grass and I have to keep trimming it in summer.

[jolly jen]

i use what ever i can find that cheap mostly bin bags or old compost plastic bags,layed down and covered up with free wood chip that the council bring down the allotment

[Sandrav]

I have just started to build my raised beds and was thinking what to put in between. I was hoping i would be able to get some paving slabs or alike for walkways, but i might wait a while to make sure the beds are where i want them. In between allotments, some of my neighbours use strips of carpet, it actually works quite well xx

[green gnome]

after clearing the plot i've been given, i'll use some of the hardcore thats been dumped on it  the rest will be going under the shed.