Down the center of the garden is the grass path. For now it will stay that way. It's about 4 feet wide and goes straight down the middle of the garden. Both sides of the garden have the same sized beds to make them easy to organize and add a bit of symmetry. The beds still need filled (which I hope to accomplish this weekend) and the pathways need covered. I'll fill the beds with a layer of brown matter (leaves and dried grass clippings), newspapers, compost, and finally with a nice layer of mulch on top. Mulch is essential on a vegetable garden. It keeps the roots cooler during our hot summers and allows the moisture to stay locked in the soil.
The pathways are going to be made of mulch. I may decide to change that later but for now it's the cheapest and best option for this garden. I'll eventually add stepping stones throughout the garden to make solid surfaces to stand on for weeding, walking and wandering (something I do a lot of). The best time to weed is after a rain and you don't necessarily want to be standing on wet mulch all the time.
This coming weekend is a big work weekend. I planning on hauling in truckloads of compost and mulch. I just hope I don't have to be hauled on a stretcher when it's all said and done! The compost will help fill the beds and the mulch will cover the vegetable garden paths as well as a few gardens around the yard that need coverage. It's exciting to see things beginning to come together!