Monday 11 March 2013

To cover or not to cover that's the Question….

Not much action down the plot this week, the family has been hit with this winter bug, my youngest daughter has had it the worst, so daddy day care comes before Allotment action.

I wanted to get the rest of the posts done I started last week but the snow today has put pay to that idea. I am really hoping that it clears up a little as I want to pay a visit tomorrow as got a load of horse Manure to take up there, its fresh stuff but I have a old compost bin that I intend to get filled asap and plan to leave it till this time next year so its had time to do its thing.

My Father has managed to get hold of some black plastic as next year we are going to cover the beds over to stop the weeds coming up over winter and to make it earlier in the spring. Covering your plot as I have found out is split into 2 camps those whom swear by it and do it every year and those whom feel it should never be covered, me I am of the opinion you don’t know until you try it so that’s what we plan to do.WEEDS

My Dad found a right Bargain on eBay 50m x 2m continuous length on a roll for £20 with free postage, so we snapped that up straight away, I was a little sceptical at first as I thought that was too good to be true, but it was delivered today and it is really good stuff. So it pays to search and your find what you’re looking for.

this picture was taken last October from a bed I neglected for a wile hopefully the plastic will stop this from happening.

5 comments:

  1. Afternoon :-)

    I covered last year with weed control fabric. This year, after taking it up to dig-over, I'm reusing it in smaller patches (it was planted through quite liberally so it was a little shredded). As a medium to plant through it was great and did its job. I'm not too sure about black plastic myself as water won't get through to the soil, but it will certainly keep weeds at bay!

    This year I've been laying corrugated cardboard between rows, at plot edges and on paths to keep the weeds away. I like this method as it keep weeds from germinating, but will rot down and improve the soil as it goes.

    Hope it works well, anyway.

    Love the blog.

    Jamie ~ Plot 10b

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    1. Hi Jamie, covering the beds is just for overwinter and when the bed is mt in use. I don't intend to use it permanently. I have landscape fabric on my paths and that's topped with bark.

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  2. We use weed control fabric too - we used to use black plastic over straw to cover dahlia tubers left in the ground. It was so cosy that bees moved in and built a hugs nest so we had to leave it is place 'til they moved on. When you walked past the ground was literally buzzing

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  3. We also use weed control fabric and actually grow our potatoes underneath it,that way you don't need to earth up we just plant them deep and make a slit where the plant comes up

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  4. I think I might try to cover a least some beds this year, even if its just to warm the soil quicker in the spring. I did try growing some green manure on one bed and that was quite successful as it kept other weeds down. But you have to sow it at the right time the 2nd lot I sowed didn't germinate as I was too late.

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