I use wood chip that I make from trimmed branches in the yard. Have a zero waste yard. I like to semi bury pots in the mulch so worms, which I feed in the pots, can move in an out. I am working with a smaller area than Niall and the garden has a border that is easy to run around with a lawnmower and weed wacker.
Your garden looks so nice. I have gravel in my vegetable beds, too. Although over time, compost has found its way into the gravel, causing lots of weeds . I'm having a very hard time weeding, because there is so much! Although it's pretty easy to pull. But, that being said, I'd never go back to grass paths.
Thank you for this info. I’ve been struggling to decide between grass and gravel… I have watched a ridiculous amount of TH-cam videos. After this I have decided to go with gravel.
Seems great on a veg patch. I regret getting rid of the lawn in my front garden though. The sun is on that side most of the day and you don’t realise that grass is a natural air conditioning unit. The heat from the gravel and my driveway just bakes the house.
Could you add a pond or other water feature? The heat making the water evaporate would both cool and moisten the air for easier breathing. You could also add some bigger pots for small trees and shrubs with flowers underneath them. Less maintenance work than a lawn and year round interest if you plan it right - fruit trees, for example, have spring flowers, green summer canopy, colourful fruits and architectural bare branches in winter letting extra light through.
@@michellebyrom6551 thanks for the suggestions! I’ve actually began doing that. A cherry tree in the middle with thuja conifers on the edges. Then I have limelight hydrangeas between the thujas and whatever annuals I’m in the mood for that year. It’s tough moving all the gravel and hardcore out the way to make beds 🫥
Nope, I'm all for woodchips. We started with gravel, and after a year it is dirty, full of weeds, with soil in between. We haven't even noticed that the snails have any more problems with it. Before the autumn of the following year, we removed all the gravel and filled in the paths between the beds with wood chips. Best decision ever. Weeds are easy to pick out, we just add an extra inch every autumn. Below, it is full of mycorrhiza, creating a beautiful black soil. It smells like woodland soil, it's soft to walk on and every time we are delighted by the mushrooms that grow along the paths.
I have pea gravel between my stone raised beds. I love it. Yes, you will find it warms the area faster in the spring and keeps it warmer into the fall. I live near Chicago.
There are comments about debris forming compost, which.weeds obviously love. How difficult is it to lift a section of gravel, put it onto a seive to lose the debris, sweep away any remaining debris and respread the gravel? I imagine using a tarp or wheelbarrow to hold the lifted gravel to one side whilst sweeping that space before seiving and returning that pile. Then repeating the process with the next section. Path stays good, compost goes where it should be. The whole job can be done in sections over the dryer months. Probably only needs doing every few years, like painting a fence or shed. I'm slowly replacing all my grass (much of it couch grass) with plants and walkable ground cover plants like moss. My garden had fence to fence grass and nothing else like a fitted carpet. Three hours with a hover mower every week in the summer killed my interest having any lawn. As my paths and sitting spaces develop, I plan on using pea gravel as good rain drainage and comfortable walking for my dogs. The dogs will use the moss for their bathroom, and that's easier to clean up too.
Looks beautiful. I agree on the grass paths -I don't have time for that! We have both gravel and mulch areas with step stones/ flag stones. The gravel can get hot where there is large areas of it in Summer, and gets dirty with debris. The mulch has to be replenished occasionally but hides debris and is cooler. And was inexpensive/easy. We keep adding flagstone stepping stones over time. And still weeding both, but they're not too bad.
I have had both grass and gravel and love and hate both for different reasons. I like the look of crisp edged grass, but it is a constant chore, and the grass truly does rob nutrients from the garden. I do wonder out bare footed at times so gravel rates low there unless you get the expensive kind that's run through a tumbler and that's not going to happen for me. In my current veg garden I went with recycled rocks found on the property 5-10 inches in size in a formal pattern and filled the joints with sand. Lots and lots of work but does work well with the old look of the house. What you choose looks great!!!
Gravel is great but I can't get used to the sound when you walk on it. I don't know why I don't like it, but it just grinds on my nerves. I would like woodchips over both grass and gravel if I had the opportunity. Right now I have a medium-sized growing space with raised beds and I can keep on top of my grass between them. I use the material in my compost since the lawnmower isn't a collecting type. If I keep the grass around my beds short it helps to prevent hiding places for slugs and snails.
Had gravel when I bought this house. Gravel over membrane. The membrane was breaking down and it was back breaking labour removing the gravel and then sifting soil to pick out as much plastic as we could. Now I use cardboard with woodchips and after a rain I just torch the weeds. Eventually the wood chips turn to compost and I add it to beds. The worms love it. I like the look of gravel paths a lot. I just wish weeds would not come back and membranes don’t fall apart.
Same here. The previous owners put gravel over landscape fabric in part of the yard. Here in the jungle of central Indiana, vegetation broke down, formed soil on top of the gravel, and voila--weeds galore. I spent a hot, miserable day pulling out all that landscape fabric. This year, I'm growing lawn between the raised beds where there's gravel, cardboard and mulch. It'll get mowed and weed whacked and that's it. It's a vegetable patch and doesn't have to look like it belongs in Instagram. Since it's on the west side of the house, I'm hoping it'll help cool that area.
Gravel makes a lot of sense in a wet climate - Love the look of lighter-colored gravel a lot! We need/want to get rid of the grass in our own garden but, I am in a wheelchair, so when we have enough money will be putting large permeable pavers that can be re-leveled as needed (we have a LOT of tunneling critters). Grass gets hummocks that are difficult to navigate, and tires sink down when it’s wet.❤
why not use wood chip? when you add in compost to bed, it might drop into gravel and you will get weed over gravel---you'd have to pull by hands. thanks
Gravel is one thing that I absolutely hate in any setting. It grows more weeds than any other mulched bed in my garden. Yes it looks good initially, but over time with dust and decaying matter blowing in and decomposing, spilled growing medium from the beds falling on it and soon a soil is developing between the stones. Invariably they'll grow weeds and they're harder to get out amongst gravel, especially those with a tap root like dandelion.
I went with membrane and wood chips. You still need to weed some patches but even cooch grass pulls out easily. Its natural too and all adds to the garden eventually. You could also inoculate the wood chips with edible, or even magic mushrooms with the right knowledge😅
We also have gravel in our yard and between the raised beds. After having made the yard completely new one month ago, because of the weeds coming through, after 4 weeks now everything is back to the former weedy look again. And we had used an excavator to remove the top layer, even that didn't help. We don't like to use plastik in our garden (these membranes.always brake down after some years and then you have thousands of pieces in the ground), so we don't have a pvc-weed barrier and I can say, only gravel doesn't work at all. It's glowing hot in the sun and heating up everything surrounding, it's not a living space (negative concerning climate) and its getting weedy without using plastik weed-barrier (what also seemed not the best idea to me, concerning the heat the gravel takes on during the summer). We wouldn't take gravel again, if we had the joice (what we don't have, because this is also our driveway). But I agree, it looks nice, especially when its new.
@@charliedeltawhiskey5842 Thats what I am planning for the future. Thank you for your experienced feedback, I didn't use the woodchips before but hoped it would work. I will have to cover a former concrete-place and some future ways through the upcoming flowerfarm, and I think it would be fine there. Unfortunately noone in my direct surrounding ever used woodchips, so I didn't have direct feedback before yours. I just saw some Vlogs about it and thought that sounds interesting. ;) 🤗🌻
You might want to consider using some pre emergent granules. You have to weed first though. I use it a few times a year and love it. Weeds are minimal and easy to remove. No landscape fabric either.
I used to have a standard lawn with beds at the sides and back but after a week of hot weather killed off large patches of grass in 2018, I'd just had enough. The lawn was already not in the best shape and I was fed up with the mowing, weeding and looking at large dead patches for six months of the year until the next growing season started. Putting in a new lawn was going to be expensive and there'd still be the hours of maintenance and the aforementioned dead patches. Decided to go for raised beds and gravel instead. Despite having about three times (if not more) more plants than before, there's very little gardening to do although it helps that I put a layer of bark chippings in the raised beds to keep the weeds out of them. I do occasionally get weeds and tree seedlings in the gravel but since they aren't able to root properly they come out with next to no effort. One thing I hadn't anticipated was the amount of bugs that like to live in the gravel, especially small spiders. Generally I'm not a spider fan but these little ones are fascinating to watch.
I think it looks great, but its greatest appeal is the practicality to me. I hope you enjoy it! When you put garden furniture on it, I have one tip. I have metal legged garden furniture on my gravel as I think you're planning to put furniture on yours. Once a year, I clean the furniture down to store it. It's black, so after cleaning it, I repaint the legs with Hammerite. The gravel scratches the legs you see and if you don't they'll rust over time. I also love putting pots on the gravel. If one bit is too high or too low, you just scoop a bit of gravel in to level the pot!
I love the look! Makes it brighter in the garden. I’ve wanted something like this for my garden area, unfortunately I deal with scorpions who also like stuff like this. 😢 Im all for sharing my garden with bugs and wildlife but not those guys! 😂
Other gardeners who have installed gravel paths replace them with grass within 1 year due to weeds, no matter how much you try to block them from below, they are blown in and grow - it becomes a nightmare... so I hope you do an update in a year to prove the other gardeners wrong
@@thedivide3688for real, because I’m confused how gravel could be worse than wood chip/mulch?! Can you just add more rock over time (granted there would be a weed barrier underneath)
You know you have to add gravel over time right? Every 5 years sounds about right for adding a new layer of gravel. No matter what material you choose there's going to be maintenance.
I think a mistake a lot of people make is using weed membrane. If anything grows into the membrane it's a nightmare. It's easier to just make the gravel quite deep and top it up as required.
The gravel looks so pretty, my garden is on a slope so having gravel would end up rolling down the hill! Hehe! I dont mind an hours strimming every couple of weeks, keeps me fit! Love all your videos Niall! Sending love from Northumberland xx
Fantastic video Niall, I've always been a fan of the grass paths on the allotment but for a home garden I reckon you might have just convinced me that gravel is the way forward. It's especially helped by the fact that your beds themselves are absolutely brimming with all sorts of gorgeous flowers and not just veg alone.
I'm debating between gravel or woodchip paths for my veg garden... Leaning towards woodchips because I can get them free & they will break down into compost over time that can be added into the garden. We have very hot dry summers here in northern California so the potential heat trapping properties of gravel are a concern even though I really like the aesthetic. Alternatively, I might go for a hardy ground cover like elfin thyme that can handle foot traffic, all the benefits of grass with less maintenance.
I think for your use case that the wood chip might just be the perfect thing. Funny you mention about the thyme because I'm considering planting some creeping thyme plants into my gravel!
Been putting down gravel.Using gravel grids and membrane,as it's very wet site.Luckily,the standard basic 20mm gravel,at builders merchant,is "yellow" gravel.£67 per 800kg bulk bag.
In order to have no weeds in gravel you have to keep the acidity level hi it's nice when you put it in by Nature will always come back ask me how I know 14 ft wide 400 ft driveway with quarter inch fine Stone we have weeds and grass growing right through the hard pack that's a full-time job too picking out weeds tree seeds creep weeds Etc wood chips are more manageable four square foot gardening ask me how I know that too! There's always trade-offs no matter what you put down.
Never landscape fabric. Nope. 3 in compacted limestone base (plate compactor can be rented or buy a cheap one from Harbor Freight for those in the US) and then top your gravel of choice. And then the religious use of Preen or another pre emergent. I hate hate hate landscape fabric.
I have gravel bc came with the house, but it is a heat island and builder used bad weed membrane and the wrong sized smooth rocks so it rolls around, is very unstable and weeds everywhere. Wish it was angled rock. I started adding heavy duty weed cloth over it with wood chips bc it’s too costly to remove all the rock and that’s stabilizing and keeping weeds out and cooling area. One thing I’ve worried about with wood chips is fire risk bc wildfires are high risk in my area. Was using shredded cedar but it’s high risk. So investigating some other options I’ve found.
I appreciate this guy’s video. However, if putting down a membrane/landscaping fabric, be sure to do your research before deciding to do so! There has been research done on landscaping fabric that’s worth reading about-in short, even membranes that are made to be permeable end up not being permeable after a few years.
There is a further benefit to using gravel although it may not apply to a veg patch ... it CAN act as a security feature. It is almost impossible to walk on a gravel path without making a noise. So it can deter people who wouldn't want to be noticed like burglars and peeping toms. Having said that, as a downside, it can also supply ammunition to the wee yobbos around here who think throwing stones at windows it great fun. Gravel may not break glass as easily as say a brick, but it can put holes in double glazing and grrenhouse panes, and car windshields.
Hello Niall. I recently created a front walkway with mulch and flagstone. A ferral cat, has been digging it up and depositing waste under the mulch. Also the cedar mulch scatters across the stones and looks very messy. For these reasons I'm gona change the mulch for pea gravel.
We had river rock all around our house when we move in with weed barrier under. Horrible stuff with weeds growing through that were so hard to remove not to mention awful to walk or kneel on. Got rid of it (back breaking work) and replaced with shredded mulch. Way better but our windy climate blows some into the grass. It's easy to walk on but stick to my feet. LOL. I love the look and sound of pea gravel though. I'm going to give it a try on a small area and see how it goes.
this is assuming that you have decided to make a bunch of raised beds with wood. they may warm up faster, but they also dry out faster and require more water. you can just mow the grass in-between your garden beds, and even make them raised without wood. Farmers do not use raised beds made out of wood, only back yard diy'rs
Gravel looks neat and beautiful. Over time the barriers/ cloth beneath the gravel will break down and you still have to contend with weeds. Worse yet, gophers / voles will still dig up the soil destroying the tidy look of the gravel.
hey Niall, great video and you’ve finally got around to laying that gravel! looks fab. trying to figure out the best cover for just around the poly tunnel still which is in the garden so grass all around but we put wood chipping around which does work great and had some results with alliums growing through and also sweet peas but the birds love it too so it gets thrown around all over the place (blackbirds we think or rabbits but don’t think so). so when we mow we have to rake the wood chippings….. gravel wont work really in that instance I dont think.
I use landscape cloth and put untreated bark mulch over it, creates a nice weed resistant path. It sits in the hot sun and with a few seasonal turns, becomes a nice compost for your plants. Then, you can use it and start over with new bark mulch. It’s also a lot lighter than gravel. It is pretty easy if you don’t leave it there any longer than it takes to turn to compost, so you don’t get too many grass and weeds growing in it.
I have beds similar to yours. Grass paths are not good. However, with lots of clearing and replanting over the years,the gravel paths are now covered in weeds . They are a nightmare. I would choose something like hoggin or resin if I was doing it again.
That's my goal for the future I have an area at the back of the garage where I want to do raised beds and put some gravel like you have done to minimize the work load for the future
Very un-ecological. The gravel industry is not good for the environment and then there is all that plastic membrane! Weeds love to grip it with their roots, or poke their way through it. You underestimate the weed problem gravel creates as it is the perfect medium for seeds. It’s noisy. It lodges into your boot soles and comes into the house. This seems too much like an ad for someone who has given you something for free. Disappointing from you.
Thanks for the great video Niall. Definitely going the change from grass to gravel. Just one question. Did you put the membrane down on bare earth or on a foundation of hard-core or compacted stone chip/grit?
So I took a bit of a shortcut and laid the membrane on the earth... more because I just need a practical surface since it's a working veg garden. If I was going to lay it as a decorative path, I'd recommend considering a compacted foundation
My dogs dig huge hole in our natural clay paths. Don't get mych weeds as they are between trees. We just fill holes with river rock and pea gravel. So we have patches of rock n gravel.
I can only agree with your views. Tried grass, very messy. Changed to wood chip/bark, bind weed thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. So got rid of the beds and turfed it over. I do miss them.
@@niallgardens I have what I call a “dry river bed” path. It has stepping stones surrounded by large round stones. Looks a lot like a dry river bed. Seems to help with erosion as well.
Even though it looks nice now , i would like another video after winter on maintenance ;) trust me cutting grass in path is not going to seem to be such a big job in couple years ...
🌈💚🍀 Morning Niall and great video 💚 You’ve helped me decide 💭 I have been deliberating over putting down gravel paths or not 💁🏻♀️ Decision made. Gravel for me 🪨🪨🪨 🤗🍀
@@niallgardens The perfect edging and the less time spent weeding is what’s appealing to me most. Must get online window shopping for local supplies and start planning 🤔 🧠 💭 Yours looks beautiful 🤩
That's actually a very good point! Really glad you've mentioned it so that it's here in the comments. I chose a slightly larger stone to try and get around the risk of that happening... will report back!
Bare earth and hoe any weeds off. Most people just haven't got the money to membrane and gravel their rented allotment. Slugs have to travel a no-slugs-land to get tot eh growing areas and are easily spotted by birds and frogs on my plot. Having said that, if someone were to provide me with weed membrane and two tonnes of gravel, I would choose gravel straight away.
It's great to have different options from wood chip, to pavers, to gravel, and bare earth that's hoed like you say. Totally agree that it's not affordable for everyone and I like your thinking on the slugs!
Woodchip (ideally free or much cheaper off a local tree service company) is a great idea though right..?.. Or use your paths as your composting area too? hmmm
Delighted it's worked out for you Niall. Looks fantastic. I just shared to a friend who owns a stone company, it's great to see what people can do with gravel. You have done yourself proud yet again. Well done,oh and by the way,bed's ate looking superb. Have a super Sunday.
Morning Lorraine! Thanks - I really do think it's all starting to come together... a couple of years of work but it's nearly there.... for now! That's really cool that you've shared it with your friend! Hope all's well with you! ❤️
@niallgardens plenty hard work,and gradual changes make it all worth the time and effort. Better over time doing,a fabulous hobby. All good here thank god,enjoying a few showers of rain for the garden and lotty.
Gravel: - needs plastic fabric that brakes down into microplastics IN YOUR GARDEN - doesn't really prevent strong weeds that anchor themselves into the liner - is lifeless desert that is useless for wildlife and doesn't attract beneficial insect predators - slugs and snails can still travel over it when its wet - almost impossible to remove completely when you want to change/rearrange your garden playground -painful to walk over barefoot Living Mulch (like bark shavings or wood chips) -doesn't need any plastic barriers -over time becomes perfect compost -retains moisture like a sponge, prevents flooding and drought in garden -good weed barrier because slightly acidic and low nitrogen (rotting wood bacteria takes all nitrogen) -full of beneficial fungi and bacteria -provides home for many beneficial insect predators -soft to walk over -when it rots just shovel it into raised beds
I wear sandals most days of the year. Gravel makes for a miserable experience, as well as tracking it into the house in the shoe sole lugs. A refugia for insects, and grass paths can be a garden in and of itself. A mix of forbs and grasses, and a annual perennial mix. Steppables. You are right about bruising it with our activity.
Woodchips are the best for paths as overtime it breaks down and can be used for the beds. You do have to re apply it every few years though.
I use wood chip that I make from trimmed branches in the yard. Have a zero waste yard. I like to semi bury pots in the mulch so worms, which I feed in the pots, can move in an out. I am working with a smaller area than Niall and the garden has a border that is easy to run around with a lawnmower and weed wacker.
Your garden looks so nice. I have gravel in my vegetable beds, too. Although over time, compost has found its way into the gravel, causing lots of weeds . I'm having a very hard time weeding, because there is so much! Although it's pretty easy to pull. But, that being said, I'd never go back to grass paths.
Thank you for this info. I’ve been struggling to decide between grass and gravel… I have watched a ridiculous amount of TH-cam videos. After this I have decided to go with gravel.
I put down square concrete paving pads around my vegetable garden. So easy to look after and very little weeding.
Seems great on a veg patch. I regret getting rid of the lawn in my front garden though. The sun is on that side most of the day and you don’t realise that grass is a natural air conditioning unit. The heat from the gravel and my driveway just bakes the house.
Thanks! Oh yeah I can well imagine that a large area of gravel in the space of a lawn would radiate a lot of heat!
Could you add a pond or other water feature? The heat making the water evaporate would both cool and moisten the air for easier breathing. You could also add some bigger pots for small trees and shrubs with flowers underneath them. Less maintenance work than a lawn and year round interest if you plan it right - fruit trees, for example, have spring flowers, green summer canopy, colourful fruits and architectural bare branches in winter letting extra light through.
@@michellebyrom6551 thanks for the suggestions! I’ve actually began doing that. A cherry tree in the middle with thuja conifers on the edges. Then I have limelight hydrangeas between the thujas and whatever annuals I’m in the mood for that year. It’s tough moving all the gravel and hardcore out the way to make beds 🫥
Niall, I think you sold me on the gravel. But I think you'll find it grows more weeds than you expected. Good luck and take care, DA
Nope, I'm all for woodchips. We started with gravel, and after a year it is dirty, full of weeds, with soil in between. We haven't even noticed that the snails have any more problems with it.
Before the autumn of the following year, we removed all the gravel and filled in the paths between the beds with wood chips. Best decision ever. Weeds are easy to pick out, we just add an extra inch every autumn. Below, it is full of mycorrhiza, creating a beautiful black soil. It smells like woodland soil, it's soft to walk on and every time we are delighted by the mushrooms that grow along the paths.
I have pea gravel between my stone raised beds. I love it. Yes, you will find it warms the area faster in the spring and keeps it warmer into the fall. I live near Chicago.
There are comments about debris forming compost, which.weeds obviously love.
How difficult is it to lift a section of gravel, put it onto a seive to lose the debris, sweep away any remaining debris and respread the gravel? I imagine using a tarp or wheelbarrow to hold the lifted gravel to one side whilst sweeping that space before seiving and returning that pile. Then repeating the process with the next section. Path stays good, compost goes where it should be. The whole job can be done in sections over the dryer months. Probably only needs doing every few years, like painting a fence or shed.
I'm slowly replacing all my grass (much of it couch grass) with plants and walkable ground cover plants like moss. My garden had fence to fence grass and nothing else like a fitted carpet. Three hours with a hover mower every week in the summer killed my interest having any lawn. As my paths and sitting spaces develop, I plan on using pea gravel as good rain drainage and comfortable walking for my dogs. The dogs will use the moss for their bathroom, and that's easier to clean up too.
Looks beautiful. I agree on the grass paths -I don't have time for that! We have both gravel and mulch areas with step stones/ flag stones. The gravel can get hot where there is large areas of it in Summer, and gets dirty with debris. The mulch has to be replenished occasionally but hides debris and is cooler. And was inexpensive/easy. We keep adding flagstone stepping stones over time. And still weeding both, but they're not too bad.
I have had both grass and gravel and love and hate both for different reasons. I like the look of crisp edged grass, but it is a constant chore, and the grass truly does rob nutrients from the garden. I do wonder out bare footed at times so gravel rates low there unless you get the expensive kind that's run through a tumbler and that's not going to happen for me. In my current veg garden I went with recycled rocks found on the property 5-10 inches in size in a formal pattern and filled the joints with sand. Lots and lots of work but does work well with the old look of the house. What you choose looks great!!!
Gravel is great but I can't get used to the sound when you walk on it. I don't know why I don't like it, but it just grinds on my nerves. I would like woodchips over both grass and gravel if I had the opportunity. Right now I have a medium-sized growing space with raised beds and I can keep on top of my grass between them. I use the material in my compost since the lawnmower isn't a collecting type. If I keep the grass around my beds short it helps to prevent hiding places for slugs and snails.
I can imagine that it could be a sound / sensation that you don't enjoy. I like it, but it is distinctive! Your garden sounds great by the way!
Had gravel when I bought this house. Gravel over membrane. The membrane was breaking down and it was back breaking labour removing the gravel and then sifting soil to pick out as much plastic as we could. Now I use cardboard with woodchips and after a rain I just torch the weeds. Eventually the wood chips turn to compost and I add it to beds. The worms love it. I like the look of gravel paths a lot. I just wish weeds would not come back and membranes don’t fall apart.
Same here. The previous owners put gravel over landscape fabric in part of the yard. Here in the jungle of central Indiana, vegetation broke down, formed soil on top of the gravel, and voila--weeds galore. I spent a hot, miserable day pulling out all that landscape fabric. This year, I'm growing lawn between the raised beds where there's gravel, cardboard and mulch. It'll get mowed and weed whacked and that's it. It's a vegetable patch and doesn't have to look like it belongs in Instagram. Since it's on the west side of the house, I'm hoping it'll help cool that area.
Gravel makes a lot of sense in a wet climate - Love the look of lighter-colored gravel a lot! We need/want to get rid of the grass in our own garden but, I am in a wheelchair, so when we have enough money will be putting large permeable pavers that can be re-leveled as needed (we have a LOT of tunneling critters). Grass gets hummocks that are difficult to navigate, and tires sink down when it’s wet.❤
why not use wood chip? when you add in compost to bed, it might drop into gravel and you will get weed over gravel---you'd have to pull by hands. thanks
Gravel is one thing that I absolutely hate in any setting. It grows more weeds than any other mulched bed in my garden.
Yes it looks good initially, but over time with dust and decaying matter blowing in and decomposing, spilled growing medium from the beds falling on it and soon a soil is developing between the stones. Invariably they'll grow weeds and they're harder to get out amongst gravel, especially those with a tap root like dandelion.
I went with membrane and wood chips. You still need to weed some patches but even cooch grass pulls out easily. Its natural too and all adds to the garden eventually. You could also inoculate the wood chips with edible, or even magic mushrooms with the right knowledge😅
We also have gravel in our yard and between the raised beds. After having made the yard completely new one month ago, because of the weeds coming through, after 4 weeks now everything is back to the former weedy look again. And we had used an excavator to remove the top layer, even that didn't help. We don't like to use plastik in our garden (these membranes.always brake down after some years and then you have thousands of pieces in the ground), so we don't have a pvc-weed barrier and I can say, only gravel doesn't work at all. It's glowing hot in the sun and heating up everything surrounding, it's not a living space (negative concerning climate) and its getting weedy without using plastik weed-barrier (what also seemed not the best idea to me, concerning the heat the gravel takes on during the summer). We wouldn't take gravel again, if we had the joice (what we don't have, because this is also our driveway). But I agree, it looks nice, especially when its new.
@@charliedeltawhiskey5842 Thats what I am planning for the future. Thank you for your experienced feedback, I didn't use the woodchips before but hoped it would work. I will have to cover a former concrete-place and some future ways through the upcoming flowerfarm, and I think it would be fine there. Unfortunately noone in my direct surrounding ever used woodchips, so I didn't have direct feedback before yours. I just saw some Vlogs about it and thought that sounds interesting. ;) 🤗🌻
You might want to consider using some pre emergent granules. You have to weed first though. I use it a few times a year and love it. Weeds are minimal and easy to remove. No landscape fabric either.
@@MsArtistwannabe Thank you for the idea. I didn't know the word and looked it up. Did I get it right that it's herbicides?
I used to have a standard lawn with beds at the sides and back but after a week of hot weather killed off large patches of grass in 2018, I'd just had enough. The lawn was already not in the best shape and I was fed up with the mowing, weeding and looking at large dead patches for six months of the year until the next growing season started. Putting in a new lawn was going to be expensive and there'd still be the hours of maintenance and the aforementioned dead patches. Decided to go for raised beds and gravel instead. Despite having about three times (if not more) more plants than before, there's very little gardening to do although it helps that I put a layer of bark chippings in the raised beds to keep the weeds out of them. I do occasionally get weeds and tree seedlings in the gravel but since they aren't able to root properly they come out with next to no effort. One thing I hadn't anticipated was the amount of bugs that like to live in the gravel, especially small spiders. Generally I'm not a spider fan but these little ones are fascinating to watch.
I think it looks great, but its greatest appeal is the practicality to me. I hope you enjoy it! When you put garden furniture on it, I have one tip. I have metal legged garden furniture on my gravel as I think you're planning to put furniture on yours. Once a year, I clean the furniture down to store it. It's black, so after cleaning it, I repaint the legs with Hammerite. The gravel scratches the legs you see and if you don't they'll rust over time. I also love putting pots on the gravel. If one bit is too high or too low, you just scoop a bit of gravel in to level the pot!
I think it looks so much better! I have a similar kind of gravel on the paths of my garden and I've never regretted it.
I love the look! Makes it brighter in the garden.
I’ve wanted something like this for my garden area, unfortunately I deal with scorpions who also like stuff like this. 😢
Im all for sharing my garden with bugs and wildlife but not those guys! 😂
Gravel gets in the lawn and turns into lethal projectiles when mowing.
What are the nerdy details about the bed edge wood? :) I have no idea where to start :O
Other gardeners who have installed gravel paths replace them with grass within 1 year due to weeds, no matter how much you try to block them from below, they are blown in and grow - it becomes a nightmare... so I hope you do an update in a year to prove the other gardeners wrong
Gravel is good for only first 5 years, then it becomes essentially a compost bin. I changed to wood chip and love it ever since
You didn’t prepare your gravel path well or correctly if you have that opinion.
@@thedivide3688 no I did not install it, a professional landscaper company installed it. I would hope they did it correctly :)
@@thedivide3688for real, because I’m confused how gravel could be worse than wood chip/mulch?!
Can you just add more rock over time (granted there would be a weed barrier underneath)
You know you have to add gravel over time right? Every 5 years sounds about right for adding a new layer of gravel. No matter what material you choose there's going to be maintenance.
I think a mistake a lot of people make is using weed membrane. If anything grows into the membrane it's a nightmare. It's easier to just make the gravel quite deep and top it up as required.
The weeds are a problem. using a pre-emergent will work but will it affect the veggies?
Insects that crawl from beneath the ground will be reduced.
Woodchip all the way. Stones are stones.
Good morning, Niall, from Windermere, Florida 9b USA 🇺🇸
Great tips, pro gravel❤
And it looks great 👍
I hope your summer is going well ❤Peggy❤
Hi Peggy! ❤️ Thanks, glad you enjoyed it! All is going good here but it’s unusually hot and dry here… which believe it or not isn’t ideal in Ireland!!
The gravel looks so pretty, my garden is on a slope so having gravel would end up rolling down the hill! Hehe! I dont mind an hours strimming every couple of weeks, keeps me fit! Love all your videos Niall! Sending love from Northumberland xx
So true! A steep slope doesn't work great with gravel hahahaha! Glad you're enjoying the videos!
You could use grids to keep it in place.
Fantastic video Niall, I've always been a fan of the grass paths on the allotment but for a home garden I reckon you might have just convinced me that gravel is the way forward. It's especially helped by the fact that your beds themselves are absolutely brimming with all sorts of gorgeous flowers and not just veg alone.
I'm debating between gravel or woodchip paths for my veg garden... Leaning towards woodchips because I can get them free & they will break down into compost over time that can be added into the garden. We have very hot dry summers here in northern California so the potential heat trapping properties of gravel are a concern even though I really like the aesthetic. Alternatively, I might go for a hardy ground cover like elfin thyme that can handle foot traffic, all the benefits of grass with less maintenance.
I think for your use case that the wood chip might just be the perfect thing. Funny you mention about the thyme because I'm considering planting some creeping thyme plants into my gravel!
i have woodchips and let me tell you the voles, moles, and field mice love it.
I removed my mulch paths and replaced it with gravel! The best decision ever! So better maintained.
So glad to hear you've had a good experience with it too!
Been putting down gravel.Using gravel grids and membrane,as it's very wet site.Luckily,the standard basic 20mm gravel,at builders merchant,is "yellow" gravel.£67 per 800kg bulk bag.
In order to have no weeds in gravel you have to keep the acidity level hi it's nice when you put it in by Nature will always come back ask me how I know 14 ft wide 400 ft driveway with quarter inch fine Stone we have weeds and grass growing right through the hard pack that's a full-time job too picking out weeds tree seeds creep weeds Etc wood chips are more manageable four square foot gardening ask me how I know that too! There's always trade-offs no matter what you put down.
Never landscape fabric. Nope. 3 in compacted limestone base (plate compactor can be rented or buy a cheap one from Harbor Freight for those in the US) and then top your gravel of choice. And then the religious use of Preen or another pre emergent. I hate hate hate landscape fabric.
I have gravel bc came with the house, but it is a heat island and builder used bad weed membrane and the wrong sized smooth rocks so it rolls around, is very unstable and weeds everywhere. Wish it was angled rock. I started adding heavy duty weed cloth over it with wood chips bc it’s too costly to remove all the rock and that’s stabilizing and keeping weeds out and cooling area. One thing I’ve worried about with wood chips is fire risk bc wildfires are high risk in my area. Was using shredded cedar but it’s high risk. So investigating some other options I’ve found.
I appreciate this guy’s video. However, if putting down a membrane/landscaping fabric, be sure to do your research before deciding to do so! There has been research done on landscaping fabric that’s worth reading about-in short, even membranes that are made to be permeable end up not being permeable after a few years.
There is a further benefit to using gravel although it may not apply to a veg patch ... it CAN act as a security feature. It is almost impossible to walk on a gravel path without making a noise. So it can deter people who wouldn't want to be noticed like burglars and peeping toms.
Having said that, as a downside, it can also supply ammunition to the wee yobbos around here who think throwing stones at windows it great fun. Gravel may not break glass as easily as say a brick, but it can put holes in double glazing and grrenhouse panes, and car windshields.
Why not just use stone blocks?
Hello Niall. I recently created a front walkway with mulch and flagstone. A ferral cat, has been digging it up and depositing waste under the mulch. Also the cedar mulch scatters across the stones and looks very messy. For these reasons I'm gona change the mulch for pea gravel.
We had river rock all around our house when we move in with weed barrier under. Horrible stuff with weeds growing through that were so hard to remove not to mention awful to walk or kneel on. Got rid of it (back breaking work) and replaced with shredded mulch. Way better but our windy climate blows some into the grass. It's easy to walk on but stick to my feet. LOL. I love the look and sound of pea gravel though. I'm going to give it a try on a small area and see how it goes.
this is assuming that you have decided to make a bunch of raised beds with wood. they may warm up faster, but they also dry out faster and require more water. you can just mow the grass in-between your garden beds, and even make them raised without wood. Farmers do not use raised beds made out of wood, only back yard diy'rs
Gravel looks neat and beautiful. Over time the barriers/ cloth beneath the gravel will break down and you still have to contend with weeds. Worse yet, gophers / voles will still dig up the soil destroying the tidy look of the gravel.
Здравствуйте😊😊
Хочется пожелать вам удачи в ваших ремонтах.
Я под ✍ся, а вы?!
hey Niall, great video and you’ve finally got around to laying that gravel! looks fab. trying to figure out the best cover for just around the poly tunnel still which is in the garden so grass all around but we put wood chipping around which does work great and had some results with alliums growing through and also sweet peas but the birds love it too so it gets thrown around all over the place (blackbirds we think or rabbits but don’t think so). so when we mow we have to rake the wood chippings….. gravel wont work really in that instance I dont think.
I use landscape cloth and put untreated bark mulch over it, creates a nice weed resistant path. It sits in the hot sun and with a few seasonal turns, becomes a nice compost for your plants. Then, you can use it and start over with new bark mulch. It’s also a lot lighter than gravel. It is pretty easy if you don’t leave it there any longer than it takes to turn to compost, so you don’t get too many grass and weeds growing in it.
I have beds similar to yours. Grass paths are not good. However, with lots of clearing and replanting over the years,the gravel paths are now covered in weeds . They are a nightmare. I would choose something like hoggin or resin if I was doing it again.
I plan to used crushed granite b/c I’ve had it in my front bed (we used large contractor trash bags as weed block) and have had great success.
I have only one word to describe why this is not a good idea- cats.
😂
I love my gravel yard. It is the perfect backdrop for yard art. One can add river rocks and boulders.
That's my goal for the future I have an area at the back of the garage where I want to do raised beds and put some gravel like you have done to minimize the work load for the future
I like barkchips but they're expensive too AND need topping up every year...
Same!
Love the new look. I have gravel pathways absolutely love them . Very easy to maintain.
Thanks so much Cearma! I love making the videos, but I also find it a bit nerve-wracking when I'm showing a big change!
@@niallgardens You got it spot on!
Nice vid3o
Very un-ecological. The gravel industry is not good for the environment and then there is all that plastic membrane! Weeds love to grip it with their roots, or poke their way through it. You underestimate the weed problem gravel creates as it is the perfect medium for seeds. It’s noisy. It lodges into your boot soles and comes into the house. This seems too much like an ad for someone who has given you something for free. Disappointing from you.
Thanks for the great video Niall. Definitely going the change from grass to gravel. Just one question. Did you put the membrane down on bare earth or on a foundation of hard-core or compacted stone chip/grit?
So I took a bit of a shortcut and laid the membrane on the earth... more because I just need a practical surface since it's a working veg garden. If I was going to lay it as a decorative path, I'd recommend considering a compacted foundation
My dogs dig huge hole in our natural clay paths. Don't get mych weeds as they are between trees. We just fill holes with river rock and pea gravel. So we have patches of rock n gravel.
Sounds kinda cool to have the contrast of the rock and gravel!
Paths are beautiful. I like the color contrast makes the green beds even prettier. Good choice.
It looks amazing and I definitely agree with you 🍃🌸🍃
Love the look I have a gravel walkway in my yard connecting the house to the barn.
I can only agree with your views. Tried grass, very messy. Changed to wood chip/bark, bind weed thought it was the best thing since sliced bread. So got rid of the beds and turfed it over. I do miss them.
Thanks Kevin! Glad you agree and sorry you had the bindweed battle!
The dream vegetable garden! It looks amazing Niall, I love the look of the gravel too :)
Stone paths are best. Cleaning is much easier.
I certainly love mine!
@@niallgardens I have what I call a “dry river bed” path. It has stepping stones surrounded by large round stones. Looks a lot like a dry river bed. Seems to help with erosion as well.
Your garden is beautiful.
Even though it looks nice now , i would like another video after winter on maintenance ;) trust me cutting grass in path is not going to seem to be such a big job in couple years ...
It is when it’s something like Bermuda grass that constantly invades your garden beds
🌈💚🍀
Morning Niall and great video 💚 You’ve helped me decide 💭 I have been deliberating over putting down gravel paths or not 💁🏻♀️ Decision made. Gravel for me 🪨🪨🪨 🤗🍀
Good morning! You're welcome! I have to say they're what I think is best
@@niallgardens The perfect edging and the less time spent weeding is what’s appealing to me most. Must get online window shopping for local supplies and start planning 🤔 🧠 💭 Yours looks beautiful 🤩
Loving the new gravel paths look's amazing
It's absolutely gorgeous,
I have them and like them. But so fed up with having stones stuck in the bottom of ny shoes
That's actually a very good point! Really glad you've mentioned it so that it's here in the comments. I chose a slightly larger stone to try and get around the risk of that happening... will report back!
Bare earth and hoe any weeds off. Most people just haven't got the money to membrane and gravel their rented allotment.
Slugs have to travel a no-slugs-land to get tot eh growing areas and are easily spotted by birds and frogs on my plot.
Having said that, if someone were to provide me with weed membrane and two tonnes of gravel, I would choose gravel straight away.
It's great to have different options from wood chip, to pavers, to gravel, and bare earth that's hoed like you say. Totally agree that it's not affordable for everyone and I like your thinking on the slugs!
@@niallgardens - thank you Niall for your reply.
great video w/tips. Thank you.
Glad it was helpful! You’re welcome!
Woodchip (ideally free or much cheaper off a local tree service company) is a great idea though right..?.. Or use your paths as your composting area too? hmmm
It certainly is! Woodchip is a really fantastic, affordable, and useful choice! I have it around my polytunnel and around my composting area
@@niallgardens all right then mr perfect. 10 out of 10 then for your diverse gardening techniques. Keep up the great videos and great garden
Delighted it's worked out for you Niall. Looks fantastic. I just shared to a friend who owns a stone company, it's great to see what people can do with gravel. You have done yourself proud yet again. Well done,oh and by the way,bed's ate looking superb. Have a super Sunday.
Morning Lorraine! Thanks - I really do think it's all starting to come together... a couple of years of work but it's nearly there.... for now! That's really cool that you've shared it with your friend! Hope all's well with you! ❤️
@niallgardens plenty hard work,and gradual changes make it all worth the time and effort. Better over time doing,a fabulous hobby. All good here thank god,enjoying a few showers of rain for the garden and lotty.
It looks great.
I love it
Love it mate 😊
Gravel paths are the only way to go when you have raised garden beds. It's clean and less maintenance so nice job there Niall 👏👍
Gravel:
- needs plastic fabric that brakes down into microplastics IN YOUR GARDEN
- doesn't really prevent strong weeds that anchor themselves into the liner
- is lifeless desert that is useless for wildlife and doesn't attract beneficial insect predators
- slugs and snails can still travel over it when its wet
- almost impossible to remove completely when you want to change/rearrange your garden playground
-painful to walk over barefoot
Living Mulch (like bark shavings or wood chips)
-doesn't need any plastic barriers
-over time becomes perfect compost
-retains moisture like a sponge, prevents flooding and drought in garden
-good weed barrier because slightly acidic and low nitrogen (rotting wood bacteria takes all nitrogen)
-full of beneficial fungi and bacteria
-provides home for many beneficial insect predators
-soft to walk over
-when it rots just shovel it into raised beds
I wear sandals most days of the year. Gravel makes for a miserable experience, as well as tracking it into the house in the shoe sole lugs.
A refugia for insects, and grass paths can be a garden in and of itself. A mix of forbs and grasses, and a annual perennial mix. Steppables.
You are right about bruising it with our activity.