On 31 Dec 2011 14:36:04 GMT, "AL_n" wrote:


I've just turned about 25sq mtrs of my rather wild back garden into veggie
beds. After removing the turf, I dug the ground over and mixed in several
barrowloads of last summer's compost, which appeared to be about 75% rotted
down, but I judged it to be OK for digging into the new veg beds to improve
the somewhat clayish, soil. The compost was made from a well-mixed mixture
of stable straw, horse manure, and grass turfs and grass clippings.

Next came the question of what to cover it all with, to save myself hours
of weeding, come Spring. Someone here suggested "Polyethylenus negra". I
decided to try "Boxus Cardbordinus Maxima"! After all, it's free.

After covering every inch of the beds, I wetted it all down thoroughly, and
placed large stones every 2ft or so, to prevent the stuff from blowing
away. I am a bit concerned about the wind; I live in a spot that can get
very windy indeed quite frequently, especially in winter. I wonder if my
stones will suffice. My research tells me that most people cover the
cardboard in a couple of inches of tree bark or other mulch. I'd like to
avoid shelling out for tree bark if I can help it. I do have a great pile
of grass sods that I could use for extra weighting-down, but I'm not sure
how that would work out. I also enough remaining half-rotted compost to
cover the cardboard to a depth of about 1", but I fear that would just blow
away, as soon as the first dry, windy day arrived!

Perhaps someone here who has first-hand experience of this muching method
could advise me if they thing the stone-weighting method will be
satisfactory or not...

Thank you..

Al

If you're going for the no-dig approach then, IME, you will need to
cover the cardboard with something to promote gradual rot-down. If
your stones are weighty enough they will prevent blowing away for an
initial period but how long that is depends on the weather. If the
cardboard gets wet it will weaken and wind in the right direction may
then tear it apart in between the stones.

If your purpose is simply to prevent weeds, at preferably no cost,
then you might try a visit to your local council tip and have a word
with the people there about the possibility of removing an amount of
carpitus oldicus which someone else has deposited there. This will be
more resilient than uncovered cardboard.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay
because Santa's delivered a new weather station
so now I'll know how dry it is when it stops raining!