On 30 Jul 2003 09:27:02 -0700, (Mike Lyle)
wrote:


I should hopefully be getting an allotment soon but don't
have much time to work it at the moment. With a bit of luck I'll have
a bit more time on my hands starting later this year or early next
year.

What I thought of doing is chopping the weeds down to ground
level, then covering it with a layer of manure followed by old carpet
or black plastic then coming back later and digging it all in.


snip

The black plastic approach does work; but rarely quite as well as one
hopes. I'd use the heaviest I could get (old carpet is great), as some
light does come through thinner grades; if you happen to have a lot of
cardboard boxes, opening them out and spreading them underneath will
help.

Old carpet = free = good. The cardboard idea is excellent. You can
get loads of it from the skips at the back of every PC World if you
ever need any BTW.

Make sure the wind can't get under the edges and overlaps; and keep an
eye on it over the winter for damage. The best way to secure the edges
is to dig a little trench all the way round where each sheet will go,
and bury the edges of the plastic.

Muck spreading before laying the plastic or carpet is sound policy;
but I wouldn't put lime on at the same time, as it causes your
nitrogen to escape. Best to muck and lime in alternate years; but a
few months apart is good enough.

I'd also be inclined to take away the weeds you cut down and compost
them separately if there's a chance any of them will seed into your
bed: you'll have quite enough weeding to do anyhow.

Maybe I could use cardboard as a mulch? If I was to cut it into
strips perhaps it would rot away after a while suppressing the
initial flush of weeds I'd get from an old plot.

Ta muchly,

Andy