How to easily lay out garden paths

What you need:

Materials (see post on collecting on how to get this).

1. Cardboard
2. Woodchips

Tools:

1. Shovel
2. Rake
3. Box cutter
4. Wheelbarrow
5. Long stakes
6. Long measuring tape

1) Mark the main points of your paths at strategic places with stakes.  You can find these points by measuring out two perpendicular lines with a long (say 25′) tape, and starting from locations you knew – like the property line, or the end of the driveway.  The points are the two lines cross.  Once you have these strategic points, visually lay out the rest of the path on the ground – we used 6′ tomato stakes n the ground.   Then step back and seeing if you like the curve.   If not, nudged the stakes a bit one way or the other.    This part is easier to do with two people.

2. Lay down cardboard along the path.   If this is a main path in a garden, think about its use. For example, in our garden, we maee the paths wide enough to turn a wheel barrow around.

 

 

 

 

3. Bring in your wood chips with your wheel barrow and make piles on the cardboard

 

 

 

 

 

4. Spread out the wood chips to an even depth of about 2 inches with your rake and your hands.

 

 

 

 

 

5.  And this is the final result!