As we all know, one of the biggest pains, is digging and weeding each year.
It's particularly annoying when you lift the spuds in Autumn and you note
how 'clean' the soil is - i.e. lack of weeds due to the cover provided by
the potato foliage. The following Spring, the same plot needs to be dug and
weeded.

One of my neighbours has been given ten 9' x 9' porous plastic sheets. She
uses one for earlies, another for lates, another for leeks and so on. When
she lift the spuds, she'll cover the ground with a sheet. The areas used for
cabbage, may have some weeds and grass, she doesn't weed, but simply covers
the harvested area with plastic.

It sounds a great way to reduce digging, my only concern is that plastic is
a nice haven for slugs and snails.

I don't know if anyone saw BBc2's Natural World on 4th April, where Rebecca
Hosking, mentioned the amount of damage done by the plough, to beneficial
insect life. Most of the friendly creepy-crawlies live in the top 2 inches.
The plough (or gardeners spade) subjects the life-forms to sunlight and
death, which in turn requires extra fertiliser to compensate.

These rolls of porous plastic have been available in gdn centres for years.
Anyone used them? How long do they last and is the slug/snail thing a big
problem. Can slits be cut in them and have plants (say lettuce and leeks)
grow thru' them, or are they simply a weed suppressant? TIA.
..

I posted on her somewhere earlier that I covered a mound of couch grass that
I had dug out with these plastic sheets, cut slits through and planted Kale
plants in as an experiment. When the Kale had finished I removed the plastic
sheets and found that the couch grass had more or less gone and the soil was
rich and crumbly. I use plastic sheets all the time now as I don't like to
dig if at all possible because of the damage to the various organisms in the
top layer of soil.

I am a bit of a newbie and have only been at this for a couple of years but
I usually mulch with manure in the Autumn and then cover with the sheets
letting the worms do their wonderful work of incorporating the manure into
the soil. I peel the plastic back in the spring, giving everything a quick
fork over and plant. It has worked well for me for the past couple of years.

Slugs are often surprised by a whack with a spade when the plastic comes
back because they are sitting there all vulnerable on the surface. I have
just made a pond out of an old bathtub and stocked it with tadpoles so all
being well the frogs will mop up the remaining slugs in the future.

The sheets I use are cheap blue and green woven plastic tarpaulins from B&Q.
--
Mark Hamer
www.another-way.co.uk

I don't want to arrive at my grave in an attractive and well preserved body,
hopefully I will be skidding in
sideways, Gin and Tonic in one hand -- Cigar in the other screaming YAHAAAY!

"Hamer Family" wrote in message
...
I posted on her somewhere earlier that I covered a mound of couch grass
that I had dug out with these plastic sheets, cut slits through and planted
Kale plants in as an experiment. When the Kale had finished I removed the
plastic sheets and found that the couch grass had more or less gone and the
soil was rich and crumbly.

Thanks Mark that's good news as I intend to grow kale next year. We don't
have couch, maybe the soil's too acid. It's the worst year for dandylions
tho'.


The sheets I use are cheap blue and green woven plastic tarpaulins from
B&Q.

Does this mean they're non-porous and does it get dry underneath in Summer?
The local discount warehouse has the porous plastic, on 2m wide rolls, which
sells at 49p per metre. Not a bad price, but it looks very flimsy, I doubt
whether I'll get 2 seasons out of it.
..

..

The stuff I usually use is non porous, your typical waterproof tarpaulin, I
put it down after I have taken the plants up. Taking it up late this winter
to get ready for planting, the ground was far from dry. It seems to keep the
moisure in. I have quite sandy soil. I am guessing that it created a
mcroclimate under the sheets, like lifting a rock up on a sunny day and
finding the ground damp underneath. Same critters under there too, slugs,
snails, woodlice and centipedes.

With the kale I did water the plants for a while through the slits but after
they were established I didn't water them again. They seemed happy so I left
them alone. I have been using the same tarps for three years and although
grubby and a bit tatty in places I guess that I won't need to buy any new
ones for a good few years yet.

--
Mark Hamer
www.another-way.co.uk

I don't want to arrive at my grave in an attractive and well preserved body,
hopefully I will be skidding in
sideways, Gin and Tonic in one hand -- Cigar in the other screaming YAHAAAY!


"Bertie Doe" wrote in message
...

"Hamer Family" wrote in message
...
I posted on her somewhere earlier that I covered a mound of couch grass
that I had dug out with these plastic sheets, cut slits through and
planted Kale plants in as an experiment. When the Kale had finished I
removed the plastic sheets and found that the couch grass had more or less
gone and the soil was rich and crumbly.

Thanks Mark that's good news as I intend to grow kale next year. We don't
have couch, maybe the soil's too acid. It's the worst year for dandylions
tho'.


The sheets I use are cheap blue and green woven plastic tarpaulins from
B&Q.

Does this mean they're non-porous and does it get dry underneath in
Summer?
The local discount warehouse has the porous plastic, on 2m wide rolls,
which sells at 49p per metre. Not a bad price, but it looks very flimsy, I
doubt whether I'll get 2 seasons out of it.
.

.

"Hamer Family" wrote in message
The stuff I usually use is non porous, your typical waterproof tarpaulin,
I put it down after I have taken the plants up. Taking it up late this
winter to get ready for planting, the ground was far from dry. It seems to
keep the moisure in. I have quite sandy soil. I am guessing that it
created a mcroclimate under the sheets, like lifting a rock up on a sunny
day and finding the ground damp underneath. Same critters under there too,
slugs, snails, woodlice and centipedes.

With the kale I did water the plants for a while through the slits but
after they were established I didn't water them again. They seemed happy
so I left them alone. I have been using the same tarps for three years and
although grubby and a bit tatty in places I guess that I won't need to buy
any new ones for a good few years yet.

--
Mark Hamer

Thanks Mark, this morning I bought some porous off the 2m roll at 49ppm. If
I only get 2 seasons out of it, I'll look out for B&Q etc, tarps'. I suppose
a bonus would be getting some with eyelets. -
..

"Bertie Doe" wrote in message
...
As we all know, one of the biggest pains, is digging and weeding
each year.
It's particularly annoying when you lift the spuds in Autumn and you
note
how 'clean' the soil is - i.e. lack of weeds due to the cover
provided by
the potato foliage. The following Spring, the same plot needs to be
dug and
weeded.

One of my neighbours has been given ten 9' x 9' porous plastic
sheets. She
uses one for earlies, another for lates, another for leeks and so
on. When
she lift the spuds, she'll cover the ground with a sheet. The areas
used for
cabbage, may have some weeds and grass, she doesn't weed, but
simply covers
the harvested area with plastic.

It sounds a great way to reduce digging, my only concern is that
plastic is
a nice haven for slugs and snails.

I don't know if anyone saw BBc2's Natural World on 4th April, where
Rebecca
Hosking, mentioned the amount of damage done by the plough, to
beneficial
insect life. Most of the friendly creepy-crawlies live in the top 2
inches.
The plough (or gardeners spade) subjects the life-forms to sunlight
and
death, which in turn requires extra fertiliser to compensate.

These rolls of porous plastic have been available in gdn centres for
years.
Anyone used them? How long do they last and is the slug/snail thing
a big
problem. Can slits be cut in them and have plants (say lettuce and
leeks)
grow thru' them, or are they simply a weed suppressant? TIA.
.


I use woven plastic to suppress the weeds in an uncultivated part of
the lotty and in the walkways between the beds. I did plant some
brassicas through slits once but sadly my pesky foxes pulled up the
sheets and duly decapitated the plants with only one or two surviving.

Using this sheet with carpet to add strength to the most used walkways
is a good combo. The soil beneath the sheet remains very wet and is
drawn into the drying beds which obviously evaporate the moisture and
dry out.

Anyway, just one thing, if you don't have couch (which as you say
isn't great with acid), you probably won't be very successful with
Kale as the Kale is a lime lover. You will get much better results by
liming the soil.

TJ

"Tim Jesson" wrote in message

"Bertie Doe" wrote in message

I don't know if anyone saw BBc2's Natural World on 4th April, where
Rebecca
Hosking, mentioned the amount of damage done by the plough, to beneficial
insect life. Most of the friendly creepy-crawlies live in the top 2
inches.
The plough (or gardeners spade) subjects the life-forms to sunlight and
death, which in turn requires extra fertiliser to compensate.

These rolls of porous plastic have been available in gdn centres for
years.
Anyone used them? How long do they last and is the slug/snail thing a big
problem. Can slits be cut in them and have plants (say lettuce and leeks)
grow thru' them, or are they simply a weed suppressant? TIA.
.


I use woven plastic to suppress the weeds in an uncultivated part of the
lotty and in the walkways between the beds. I did plant some brassicas
through slits once but sadly my pesky foxes pulled up the sheets and duly
decapitated the plants with only one or two surviving.

Using this sheet with carpet to add strength to the most used walkways is
a good combo. The soil beneath the sheet remains very wet and is drawn
into the drying beds which obviously evaporate the moisture and dry out.

Anyway, just one thing, if you don't have couch (which as you say isn't
great with acid), you probably won't be very successful with Kale as the
Kale is a lime lover. You will get much better results by liming the soil.

I bought the porous rolls this morning. They are quite delicate and I have
decided to increase their longevity, by not cutting slits in them. I will
simply use them as a Winter cover. I don't lime, but I use manure every
other year and 'potato feed' pellets. I'm about 500' amsl and I can see
farmers using lime.
My neighbour bought some bare-root Spring Cabbage from the local market last
year, but it turned out to be Kale. I had some on Sunday, in Dr.Hessayon
book p59, it looks a bit like 'Hungry Gap' it was milder than I expected.
..

"Tim Jesson" wrote in message


Using this sheet with carpet to add strength to the most used walkways is
a good combo. The soil beneath the sheet remains very wet and is drawn
into the drying beds which obviously evaporate the moisture and dry out.


On the subject of carpets and/or sheets, I've spotted a page devoted to it.
If I get a chance this w/end, I'll trawl thru' it :-
http://www.allotments-uk.com/forum/f...p?FORUM_ID=176
Bertie
..