I can't speak to whether or not it will harm anything...but I did once see that someone was using tar paper between raised beds and it did a great job as a weed barrier. I think your shingles will function well and with the pine needles over them, it will look great. Out in my field garden, I use old strips of carpeting between the rows to keep the weeds down. It works well, but another member here did tell me that the dyes, etc, can leach into the soil, something I had not thought of. I won't keep using the carpet strips in the future, but I will let the ones I have finish out their useful life for me. I will be interested in hearing if there are concerns about the shingles.

Here is a link that might be useful: another thread discussing path with shingles, see 2nd poster

Here's another thread discussing the content and leaching issues of shingles...I thought the last poster was the most helpful, to my way of thinking!

Here is a link that might be useful: shingles discussion

after a month.. flip over a few.. and see if you have a slug home magnet .... that would be the only downside i see ...

ken

thanks for all the information! I don't post much but know I can always count on all of you whenever I need to know anything!

I'm using old roofing materials this way... but I won't use them anywhere near food crops, just in case... I used to use railroad ties and green-treated (old style - arsenic) for walkways and raised beds for my vegetable gardens as well, but now only use them for ornamentals...

In one of the referenced threads it was mentioned that you can not avoid any contamination from 'petroleum' shingles anyway, because rain water will drain from them around your house. That's obvious, correct?
There are people collecting rain water from those shingles in expensive barrels to use in their gardens. They must have studied any possible poisoning? Lead paint used to pollute the periphery of houses and was banned. I have never read that the government forbids use of 'petroleum' shingles anywhere.
Bernd

sorry... I don't know for sure... but I'd rather be careful. The two situations are not analagous. Water off a roof is, by its nature, only in contact with the outside of the shingles - the impregnated side - and for a short period of time. The use of roofing material on the ground, with constant contact with dirt and moisture over long periods of time isn't the same thing.

I know that even when a street is very old, on a hot day I can smell the petroleum products outgassing. I know that we used to just dump our old engine oil and now we know it is a serious contaminant...

I don't know of any studies proving any contamination that could get into food products... but for years various other chemicals were also allowed in food and considered harmless - until we found out they are probably causing cancer.

So... I use old roofing materials - but I don't use them around food crops.