"jeffrey PREST" hack@saw01961.[REMOVE THIS]fsnet.co.uk wrote in
:

Secondly, I have cleared the wilderness alongside the hard standing at
the bottom of my garden and I now just want to know the best way to
kill off any remaining weeds in the soil around it. Is there anything
not too anti-social that I can zap the soil with before I decide what
to plant in it, or is it simply a matter of weeding the soil from time
to time until the weeds stop coming through?


I suggest a layer of newspapers or cardboard topped off with compost (if
you are planning to plant later this year) or bark chips if you think it
might be a year or so.

The paper/card creates a layer that will deter most weeds to get through,
and the mulch on top stops it blowing away and gives a nice neat appearance
and is light and soft so you can easily pull out any weeds that seed into
it.

(you can use lawn mowings and shredded bits of hedge instead if you are not
bothered about it looking like a young compost heap for a few weeks before
everything goes brown).

The newspaper/card rots down over time and adds organic matter to the
soil so you can just plant through it/on top of it, though if you are
planting shallow-rooted or hungry things it's worth giving them a few
dressings of pelleted chicken manure or something to give them a good start
as card is not very nutritious!

If it's going to be a shrub border permanently, you might want to use weed
mulch fabric instead of cardboard with bark chippings - it lasts longer,
but you can just cut slits to plant through. It can be a bit of a pain to
to remove if you just want a temporary solution though.

Victoria