Cedar will hold up to a weed whacker just fine! But I prefer a flat, weed-free area that doesn't require much, if any, attention surrounding raised beds as well, I would go with wood chips, which can often be obtained for free from arborists or utility right-of-way trimmers.

I used pea gravel once and I hated it. I found it difficult to walk on, you sort of sink down into it. In our new house we are using 5/16 gravel. Generally not as washed when it arrives but the rain takes care of that after a while. Much easier to walk on and it's much cheaper. You might want to try and walk on a bit at the supply yard.

Pea gravel will need an edge to contain it, and it will still get into the grass. Leave it as it is.

I'd say wood chips or straw make a better path. You can put down cardboard, newspaper or craft paper on top of the grass and cover it with straw or wood chips. It'll kill the grass without effort.

I'd vote for the wood chips. If you were to use gravel, PEA gravel is NOT the type to use. You'd need angular (not round) gravel that has a variety of sizes from 3/8" down to dust, as it will pack down tightly for a good walking surface. What is commonly sold as "paver base" is an example of gravel that packs. Still, I'd use wood chips.

Agreed on not using pea gravel.

A basic mulch could be nice.

I put flagstone with mondo grass in-between the spaces of the flagstone

Thank you, shivece! I’m glad to hear that hand trimming isn’t too much maintenance. We may give that a try for the time being.

You are quite welcome. I have another path on the other side of the bed next to the fence. It is a bit narrow but enough for me to squeeze by. Unfortunately neither path is wide enough for a wheel barrow but that is ok. This is my first foray into vegetable gardening so I hope I will get something to survive until harvest time. Have strawberries, Kohlrabi, cabbage, cherry tomatoes, broccoli, and various peppers. I think the bed is high enough to keep the rabbits off, but not sure about the squirrels. I would love to see what you end up with.

Good luck, Sonja! This is my first true garden - I've only planted a few herbs and peppers in the past. I'm holding my breath as to whether it will all grow! I just planted everything today - strawberries, tomatoes, various peppers, lettuce, snap beans, cucumber, squash, and various herbs.

Beautiful garden. I think it will be difficult to keep grass looking good around raised beds unless you have a lawn mowing company and then it will not be a problem. As' localeater' mentioned I would not use pea gravel. Seeing your beautiful garden I would not use any kind of gravel, but I think a stone path between the two beds and from the patio would look good. Of course if later you decide that that is not the place for your beds then it would look silly to have a path from the patio to the middle of your lawn.

Good luck on your garden.

Thank you all for your replies. Localeater, I love your idea of bricks. Sonja's flagstone is gorgeous as well. You all have definitely convinced me to not use any type of gravel - thank you!!!

On an aesthetic level, this looks like the beginning of a project that would certainly improve with something to tie your nice raised beds to the rest of your yard. A path would do this, but there are other choices

Wow @batgirl548 you have an amazing looking landscape! Great job on the beds, as well..simple and clean!

@Sonja Thompson I just came across this feed and I love your vegetable garden! I am getting ready to build one in our back yard. Do you have additional pics?

Does anyone know a good website with hacks and tips about gardening? Thx!

Hi there! Congrats on your new raised cedar garden beds! It sounds like you're facing a common challenge of maintaining the area around your beds while preserving the look of your garden.

Consider alternative options like mulch, ground cover plants, or weed barrier cloth/landscape fabric to suppress weeds and improve soil quality. If you're still considering pea gravel, check out happyhydro.com for more info and a wide selection of products.

Good luck with your garden!

@Radu Minulescu look for a Master Gardener facebook group in the area where you live.

@batgirl548 How is your garden doing? I'm doing something very similar to your layout this summer. Did you end up putting anything in between the beds?