I have covered newspaper with straw although my preference is shredded leaves since they are free except for the gas used in transport. I have not mulched the paths between garden beds prefering grass there.

yes we use similar escept generally we use spoilt hay or sugar cane mulch.

len

Here is a link that might be useful: lens garden page

Newspaper mulch ..... snip...."How quickly a layer of newspaper mulch breaks down varies greatly depending on several factors. The rate is faster if the soil is rich in microorganisms, if your region is damp or you water often, or if temperatures are warm but not hot. Experiment to find what works best in your garden. As a starting point, if you live in a warm, damp climate, make your layer about five sheets thick. If your climate is dry or cold, use two sheets. Make the layer thicker if you want it to last more than a season or if youÂre trying to smother an aggressive plant, such as a lawn of Bermuda grass or St. Augustine."

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I have used newspaper in my pathways, covered with wood chips. Earthworms seem to really love newspaper.

Here is a link that might be useful: Newspaper mulch

Yep lots of people do that
I just use straw-spoiled hay anything I can get my hands on with out the paper
Where I had some bad weeds like thistles in my pumpking patch cardboard covered with multch worked wonders Seems everytime I try to use newspaper or plastic the wind starts blowing(:

Have I?!! Only for the past 37 years!
{{gwi:141729}}

It's great if you can get a friend to help you. (See poor fellow smiling for camera, circa 1984.)(We're still friends.)

I used it last year on a garden patch that had been really poor soil under a plastic layer and gravel for over 30 years.
This year, as I have been turning the earth, I am overwhelmed by the number and size of earthworms. I did add the compost I had been making so between the straw and newspaper and the compost, my soil looks very healthy.

Cardboard rather than newspaper is my preference. I was intrigued to see one of the large parks in Vancouver BC was using a bark mulch over cardboard boxes in their perennial beds. We have a shed full of boxes which will be used as soon as the soil has thawed.

On my soil under this climate, I prefer to leave the alleys bare to allow them to dry quicker in order to lessen compaction from my feet. All crop rows are mulched and subsurface drip irrigated. The water goes where I want it and not where I'll be walking. The more stuff in the way, the more difficult it is to get the weeds with a stirrup hoe. I love that wheel hoe with the stirrup hoe attachment.