Left path

I'm friends with the former president of the allotment association and she tells me that paths between plots are always problematic.

When I got my plot (or 2 half plots), there was no path on the right, which didn't work for me because I like to be able to access both sides of the plot easily. It took me two years to clear the perennial weeds, improve the soil and sow grass seeds, and it's made a difference having this path.

The left path was grassy but with couch grass, which used to creep into my vegetable beds. With a mixture of mulching and persistent weeding along the edges, I managed to keep it under control.

Last year, my left neighbour had a lot of building work done on his plot and heavy material delivered, with builders constantly using the left path. At the end of the growing season, it was really badly compacted, with gaps in areas, so I decided to mulch it thickly with woodchips in the autumn. I thought another layer of bark before spring would help even more but I've been busier than I expected in the winter so there's still a bit to finish. 

I hope to make more progress this weekend and finish it by the end of the month. I reckon 15-20 barrowloads should do the trick.