I used some recycled shingles to make a pathway so weeds wouldn't grow there. It was an experiment, and it worked. I did use some stakes to hold them in the ground due to high wind conditions. So it's been about a year, and it's working!
A great way to beat weeds and grasses with running rhyzomes persistent in small areas and avoid roundup. Shingles are not profitable enough to recycle so they end up in the landfill. Using shingles after 1989 (prior had asbestos) in real problem yard areas is a good way to recycle in my opinion. I try to work naturally with the soil food web but some spots continue to beat me.
Did you place the shingles upside down, with the grit side on the dirt? And if so, why? Also, did you overlap them by the same distance that would have been used on a roof, or just by a few inches, or not at all? Trying to determine how many I’ll need. Thanks!
I put them upside down since the backside is smoother, some of them are architectural shingles which have an uneven topside. I overlapped by about 3 inches but next time I'd go further and go 50%. In that case you would need 2x the measurement for coverage. We have torpedograss here and if you are familiar with that it gets everywhere with runners that can go several feet underground.
@@GardeningSolutions Thank you for replying! Great info. Our crabgrass (SW Va) sounds like the evil twin of your torpedograss! I picked up 30 shingles last week, at .75 each because I had to try this and I couldn’t wait for free ones to become available! So far, it’s a great solution. I only need about a thousand more. Haha!
Awesome! Our house came with left over shingles in a backyard pile. I was going to throw them all out but I’m in Florida and the garden weeds are unmanageable. I put these down and viola. No more weeds. I was reading about toxins leeching into the soil but I’ve also read that newer shingles don’t contain the toxins the old ones before 1980 did. I’m still trying to learn more and decide if they are safe for my crops.
I have mine extending past the blocks a few inches so when I mow it essentially goes over the shingle and limits the amount of edging I have to do. I haven't had any get lifted or chopped by the mower, it may also depend on how heavy the shingles are. I have a friend who used this method for their pathways and there's also been no issues mowing right up to them.
Nope - I did a lot if research before deciding to use these. Think about it, rain runs off your roof and feeds your lawn and gardens and a lot of people collect rain water for their gardens from their shingle roofs. I've also read that they are not toxic when placed in ground contact or buried. Even with all that, this is a propagation area and not a food garden so all is good :)
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I used some recycled shingles to make a pathway so weeds wouldn't grow there. It was an experiment, and it worked. I did use some stakes to hold them in the ground due to high wind conditions. So it's been about a year, and it's working!
Mine have worked great as well! I've had to go back and add a few to cover some gaps but otherwise they work better than anything else I've used.
What a brilliant idea
A great way to beat weeds and grasses with running rhyzomes persistent in small areas and avoid roundup. Shingles are not profitable enough to recycle so they end up in the landfill. Using shingles after 1989 (prior had asbestos) in real problem yard areas is a good way to recycle in my opinion. I try to work naturally with the soil food web but some spots continue to beat me.
Did you place the shingles upside down, with the grit side on the dirt? And if so, why?
Also, did you overlap them by the same distance that would have been used on a roof, or just by a few inches, or not at all?
Trying to determine how many I’ll need.
Thanks!
I put them upside down since the backside is smoother, some of them are architectural shingles which have an uneven topside. I overlapped by about 3 inches but next time I'd go further and go 50%. In that case you would need 2x the measurement for coverage. We have torpedograss here and if you are familiar with that it gets everywhere with runners that can go several feet underground.
@@GardeningSolutions Thank you for replying! Great info. Our crabgrass (SW Va) sounds like the evil twin of your torpedograss!
I picked up 30 shingles last week, at .75 each because I had to try this and I couldn’t wait for free ones to become available! So far, it’s a great solution. I only need about a thousand more. Haha!
Awesome! Our house came with left over shingles in a backyard pile. I was going to throw them all out but I’m in Florida and the garden weeds are unmanageable. I put these down and viola. No more weeds. I was reading about toxins leeching into the soil but I’ve also read that newer shingles don’t contain the toxins the old ones before 1980 did. I’m still trying to learn more and decide if they are safe for my crops.
I was thinking about doing this under my fence line so we dont have to weedeat so much. Do you how well a mower works going over them?
I have mine extending past the blocks a few inches so when I mow it essentially goes over the shingle and limits the amount of edging I have to do. I haven't had any get lifted or chopped by the mower, it may also depend on how heavy the shingles are. I have a friend who used this method for their pathways and there's also been no issues mowing right up to them.
How long do they last. Are you having to replace them often? Thanks for the reply
Aren't shingles toxic?
Nope - I did a lot if research before deciding to use these. Think about it, rain runs off your roof and feeds your lawn and gardens and a lot of people collect rain water for their gardens from their shingle roofs. I've also read that they are not toxic when placed in ground contact or buried. Even with all that, this is a propagation area and not a food garden so all is good :)
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