Making new beds & paths

Pros

• Easy to set up without needing to break your back digging over the soil – you can just lay cardboard at the base and then fill with compost
• Easy to maintain and keep weeds down
• Good drainage
• No need to worry much about the soil quality underneath as you will most likely be growing in compost or top soil
• Plants can put their roots down into the soil below and will have good access to nutrients

Cons

• Slugs & snails hide between soil and wood, and can become more problematic
• Potential cost of wooden sides and other equipment you may need
• Eventually wood will rot away and need replacing
• You may need a lot of compost to fill them initially, which can cost money

Pros

• Easy to keep costs down – all you need is basic gardening equipment to dig over the soil.
• Once established and weed-free, there should be fewer hiding places for slugs, snails and other pests.
• You can grow a lot in a fairly small area
• Plants have good access to nutrients in the soil

Cons

• Depending on weeds in your area, you may have quite a job on your hands to get it set up and maintained in the first season or two.
• Poor soil quality can be an issue, and may need a lot of additional compost added to improve it.
• Drainage can be an issue depending on soil type

Pros

• Fewer weeds to contend with
• Easier to keep slugs at bay (by removing any that are hiding underneath the pots on a regular basis)
• Ability to grow veg in a patio garden/decking/balcony
• Easy to move around to optimise growing in different weather conditions where necessary
• Very decorative & you can pack them in close together to use minimal space

Cons

• Compost used in pots will quickly run out of nutrients, so you will need to feed plants more frequently
• Need regular watering during dry spells as they’ll dry out quickly
• You are generally limited to 1-3 plants per pot (but you can use a small rectangular planter to increase your space)

Pros

• Good for very small gardens – you can easily use them at the base of a trellis to grow vertically
• By planting through holes you can keep them weed free
• The plastic keeps the compost warm which aids growth
• Good for plants that can be planted close together, like lettuces, rocket, dwarf beans etc

Cons

• The plastic element
• They can dry out quite quickly if you cut the top of the plastic off, and can be tricky to water through relatively small holes in the plastic
• They will run out of nutrients quite quickly so will need a liquid feed regularly
• Don’t provide much depth for roots

Pros

• Can be quite low-cost if you source wood chip from a tree surgeon
• Easy to lay the paths
• Looks good & is very natural – the wood chip will break down into the soil after a year or two
• Has good drainage so your path won’t get boggy in the winter

Cons

• Weeds will come through fairly easily so you’ll need to keep on top of them
• You’ll have to top it up with new wood chip every year or so
• If your beds aren’t raised, the wood chip can get kicked into the veg beds

Pros

• Looks lovely & natural
• Fairly easy to maintain as long as you have a mower/strimmer
• It is long lasting – once it’s growing, it’s growing

Cons

• It’ll get soggy in the wet winters, and can become a bit of a muddy bog if you are walking on it often
• Not easy to cut if paths are very narrow

Pros

• Looks charming
• Keeps paths nice and dry when the weather is wet
• Long lasting

Cons

• Weeds will quickly grow in the gaps and can be difficult to pull out
• Slugs & snails hide between cracks
• Can get a bit slippery sometimes
• It can be hard work to lay the paths if you have a bigger plot
• Can be expensive, depending on where you source the stone/bricks

Pros

• Feeds the surrounding soil and can help improve soil quality
• Doesn’t get too soggy and claggy in wet weather
• You can hoe it easily to keep weeds down
• It keeps things very natural
• Few places for pests to hide

Cons

• You’ll need to top it up every year or so
• It requires extra compost that you could be using in active growing space
• It is not 100% weed proof

(ps. you could use sawdust mulch instead)