What to do with aged bark path?

Good morning all.

About 5 years ago I put down some freshly chipped bark as a path surface and it has now rotted down into the most productive growing medium in my garden! A 2 week holiday in the summer and I’ll come back to a veritable jungle of plants!

I plan to lift it today and replace it but I’m unsure as to whether I should add it to the compost bin or not. As you can see, it’s pretty full of stray plants already and I’m sure it’s got seeds galore waiting to emerge, I’m worried that if I compost it I’ll just end up spreading it all everywhere!

Any suggestions of how I can use it productively?

Thanks all!

 

The easiest solution is to hoe it until all the weeds have been dislodged - assuming there aren't any perennial ones with deep roots.
Ideally, you'd pull them all out, but it depends on whether- a] you can be bothered, b] the size of the area, and c] how much time you have.
As you're keen to do it today, hand weeding is the best solution, but it may be abridge too far if you really can't be bothered!
Once that's done, you can use it as a mulch somewhere, or add it to your compost bin.

I've just done a small bed at the front of my garden that had bark put down many years ago. It took a while as I was removing a persistent geranium I don't like [therefore - a weed!] and the soil was in great condition. I'm replanting, so that's easier than renovating a path.

 

Thanks @fairygirl

I’m happy to pull the weeds, have done it many many times before

I’m more worried about all the seeds that are sitting in there. It mostly seems to be Red Veined Sorrel and Verbena that self seed profusely and I don’t really want to spread that around the garden.

 

I'd probably give it a good rake over and then just put a new layer of bark on, but then I would give it one application of weed killer next year, if you get new growth.
If it has a membrane you could remove it all down to that before applying the new bark.
As for any thing you remove, I doubt it will contain more weed seed than your general garden soil.

 

It also depends on how you use your compost. If it's turned in to the soil, most of the seeds would be buried, so not a problem. If you use it for mulching then, yes, that would spread the offenders around. It's a bit of a fallacy that the heat from composting kills off weed seeds.

 

@pete i do have a membrane down and the plan was to remove it down to there. I'd like to think you're right about the entire garden having add many seeds but this area somehow seems so prolific!

@noisette47 usually I would just dump the lot into the compost but that's really my worry, that it just won't kill of any seeds.

 

Sorry - I assumed you were changing the path completely @latimer . If you're still going to have bark, I'd do what @pete has said, and just add more. If you don't mind using weedkiller, then that's the answer next year when you get any appearing, but otherwise - you can just regularly rake to keep them at bay.
You'll always get stuff seeding in to a bare plot, so it's easier with a border than a clear path. As @noisette47 says, home compost bins won't kill off weed seeds, or desirable ones, so it's what it is. Maintenance is required!

 

If it was mine I'd probably double compost it - put it all in a wheely bin or black sacks or just a covered pile, for a few months, then have a look at it, and add it to my compost a bit at a time...

 

Can you not realign your path, so as to use your newly created top soil? I use woodchip rather than bark (because its available for free !)
3 seasons is enough to fully compost the chips, and I prefer to realign the paths that cross the raised bed planting area rather than dig out just to refill. I tend to annually run the 3 prong cultivator through the surface, any weed seeds that blow in are simply eliminated once visible, certainly before they flower.

 

I recently enquired about wood chip from a local tree surgeon, he wanted £60 for a cubic meter delivered.
Just not viable in my opinion, I know delivery is the problem, but they could easily drop it off at the end of a day as I'm very local to them.

I tried to order a plant today and it was priced at £8, they then charged £20 for delivery, just stupid.

 

You were unlucky. Tip sites charge them 'gate money'
You need to ask for it at point of production ie where the trees are being cut. The trade use Timberwolf type shredders, highly visible in distinctive orange. Only if its ready composted is it worth ££ Would not accept conifers or laurel. Would find cans/bottles to reward precise delivery although last time was declined as 'no -alcohol' policy.

 

I'm inclined to agree with you re the double composting @Stephen Southwest, because of it being so useful. I expect it depends on the existing depth and the amount, the required depth - and therefore the cost, and the ease of lifting it all - ie the time available for the task.
A few options anyway