Topic: Breathable ground cover

[Common_Clay]

Not sure where I should post this, so hope this'll do.

I noticed an older thread while trawling through this site on where to get the cheapest breathable ground cover from.

http://www.tildenet.co.uk/acatalog/Geo_Textiles_and_Weed_Barrier.html

This is the cheapest I've found and is what I use. It's been on my plot since summer last year and has helped a lot. This is cheaper than some of the prices others had found for non-breathable ground covers.

[MikeB]

Nice link

[seanhawkey]

updated link - the one above is now dead...
http://www.tildenet.co.uk/acatalog/Weed_Control_and_Landscape_Bark.html
also...
http://www.allotment.org.uk/greenhouse/Plant_Protection/garden-204.html
and
http://www.allplaz.com/acatalog/Woven_105gsm_Weed_Control_Fabric.html

[manicscousers]

thanks, sean and welcome to the site  ;D

[seanhawkey]

thanks, btw, I just bought the allplaz ground cover, for a really wild patch on the allotment, and the paths between the raised beds I've built over the years. Not very cheap, but a whole lot cheaper than local shops, it seemed to be about the best online. Well, it's something useful to do in the winter isn't it!

[Common_Clay]

Thanks for updating the link Sean. I've done the same as you with putting it on my paths, word of warning though, even with wood chip on top the weeds found a way through the permeable ground cover. I resorted to putting layers of newspaper underneath first, then ground cover, then wood chip which seems to make things a lot easier.

[manicscousers]

yep, we use heavy duty cardboard under the weed control then wood chips on top  ;D

[Common_Clay]

It's all about making life that little bit easier, eh manics?!  ;D ;D

[manicscousers]

well, if you'd seen the state of our ground when we took it over, we had to do something  ;D
and, all our beds are built on top of the ground so the weed control is attached to the sides of the beds so no weeds (well, very few ) get through  ;D

[Common_Clay]

Same here in terms of having to do something! I'm entering the fourth year on my plot which was fallow when I took it over. Still getting couch grass and bindweed in abundance, but ground cover really helps a lot, and if it means I can have relatively maintenance-free paths it's worth the extra effort. :)