Topic: Use of Weed Suppressant

[castro]

I have rented my allotment for over 20 years.
In December I received a letter from the Town Clerk instructing me to remove the weed suppressant, which is only used when the plots are not being cultivated over winter and applies to about 50% of the plot.
This person seems to be incapable of understanding all the reasons why winter covering can be beneficial for the soil.
Has anybody else been subjected to this ridiculous demand?

[Squash64]

What are you using as a weed supressant?

Our Council does not allow carpets, but that's all.

[castro]

I use the proper woven fabric, not black polythene.
I buy a 100m x 1.5m roll and cut accordingly.
My plots are 18ft by 4ft.
I've used this stuff for a long time and it results in the soil being in excellent condition in the spring.
I've got a meeting with this person next week but I just wondered whether any other councils had similar bans.
 

[tomatoada]

There have been problems in the past on my site when carpet has been put down and then the plot has been neglected and it is the difficult to remove carpet and black plastic when covered with weeds.  Is this the reason?
I can't understand proper weed suppresent as mine says it disintergrates aftersome time.

[Squash64]

I can't understand why they wouldn't want you to use it.  I wish more people on my site would cover up ground that they aren't cultivating.

Maybe the Town Clerk is under the impression that it's carpet?

Does anyone else on your site use the same supressant as yours?  Have they had a letter?

[cornykev]

As Squash says, they've probably lumped a few of you in together because of other people having carpet and you all got the same letter.
I personally leave my plot uncovered so the winter weather breaks the soil up and hopefully kills any undesirables I feel that covering harbours slugs and other nasties, but good luck and I don't feel you have anything to worry about.
 ;D ;D ;D

[castro]

I think you may be correct. The council laid out a number of new allotments in an adjacent field and gave the new tenants 3 months to get going. Some of them simply covered the plot with black membrane in order to kill off theweeds etc before starting in the spring. What the h*ll this has got to do with me and my long term methods of cultivation is quite beyond me. There is no mention of covering in the agreement.

Incidently, I have raised beds and operate a "no dig" strategy. After the growing season I put compost on the top of the bed and cover it. It results in a perfect plot and I can start planting very early. My potatoes, which have been chitting since Christmas, will be planted before the end of Feb. This means that I can lift my main crop early July and get a second crop of say runner beans before the growing season ends. It also means that I usually miss the inevitable potato blight, which seems to have got more prevalent as more  people start having allotments.
Funny old world. :)