Optimum path widths for a Kitchen garden/veg plot.

I've just started creating our kitchen garden/veg plot, which covers an area of approx 17m x 10m, and one of the first jobs was to construct a footpath around the outside edge which is 900mm wide. I had also intended to do the same on all of pathways that will criss cross the boarded beds, which have a width of 1.2m and varying lengths.

After making the first bed today, the realisation hit me that 900mm pathways are going to eat into the area.
I'm now thinking of reducing the widths down to 700mm as that seems more than ample to walk along whilst pushing a wheel barrow. Also, as the bed heights are only going to be raised by approx 150mm, the sides of the wheelbarrow hitting the boards isn't going to be an issue.

After that long winded passage... What is the generally considered optimum width for kitchen garden pathways?

 

spot on Marley...it is very annoying trying to negotiate a wheelbarrow around narrow paths....plaease learn from my mistake Eddie sacrifice the space!

 

Best solution is to measure how far apart the legs of your barrow are and then add about 40 or 50 mm.

Just looking at a path around the edge of your 17 x 10 metre plot the difference between a 900mm path and a 700mm path is 5.4 square metres and that's quite a useful area in which to grow veg. Add a few cross paths and your productive space loss will be significantly greater.

Our paths are mainly fairly narrow and due to greenhouse, trees, walls, polytunnel and antenna mast I have to make a three-point turn with the barrow on some corners, I'd rather put up with that little extra effort on the few occasions I really need the barrow than sacrifice precious growing space.

 

Personally I would go for, a wide path round the edges and one down the middle. Intervening paths are narrower. Approx 2 foot for the biggies and 18" for the narrows.

Keep remembering that cropping should be higher from beds.

However, given the size of your plot I would be tempted to go 50% beds and 50% open ground. I would use the open ground for the larger spaced and ground demanding crops eg potatoes, brussels, cabbage, peas and runner beans and permanent crops such as rhubarb and soft fruit ( raspberries, gooseberries, asparghus). Strawberries are ideal in a bed.

you can always give the 50:50 a try and if it doesn't work make it all beds in the future.

 

Just an extra to think about, I read somewhere that you wish at some stage in the future to join the NGS open garden scheme, if you do open up for that and someone with a wheelchair turns up...will they be able to get around?

My Partner Anne is in a wheelchair and we have had internal doorways widened to 900mm for free passage through..also a consideration was a 1.2m turning area. These where measurements recommended for a powered chair, self propelled chair and someone on crutches. Just an FYI for you to think on.

You could always vary the width of paths though, have a north/south and east/west wide path to divide your plot into four, susequent paths could be narrower.

Steve...