Topic: What to do weeds

[Stedic]

Our plot was vacant from spring last year so we're seeing an awful lot of weeds popping up all over the place, from dandelions and docs to a little bind weed.  Pulling them out is no problem, but if I weed once a week I end up with 4 - 6 buckets of weeds.

At the moment they all go into sacks and are taken to the tip when we can.

Can we do something else with them? Can we steep them in water or will seeds spread? OR can they be killed somehow before going on the compost heap?

[antipodes]

A common method is to seal those in black bin bags, leave them in full sun to rot down for several weeks, you will see they have turned to sludge after a while. Then it is pretty safe  to compost that sludge. nothing can survive that.
It's a shame to tip them, you are throwing away all the goodness from your ground!

[Ben Acre]

Why not compost them?
As long as your heap is hot they should die and rot down, if not save them for your bonfire.

[antipodes]

You could also be trying other methods so you don't have to weed! What about getting some tarps or black plastic down to smother them, or get some pumpkins growing in there quick smart! They take over and are even more thuggish than most weeds :)

[Stedic]

Thanks all,

Antipodes - I think in the longer term we'll  cover any fallow beds with plastic sheeting, and the beds where we have crops growing are a lot easier to weed.  I've got some squashes, courgettes etc ready to provide some good ground cover and think foliage.  As the plot wa snew in Feb we weren't organised enough to plant thngs through black plastic, but its something we'll consider next year for sure.

RE: Composting - won't the seeds and roots end up in the compost and spread when I use it?

[Digeroo]

I like the idea of putting the weeds in black plastic bin bags.  I tend to sort mine, so the annual ones before they seed go in the compost bin, but never sure what to do with the dandelions, nettles, dead nettles etc.

I have heard also of making weed tea, putting them in water until they rot down to a liquid.  Seems to deal with bindweed but the nettles just think it is heaven and grow out of the top I  make sure all the leaves are underwater.  By the end of the winter all that is left is a smelly green slime.  I am concerned about the seeds though. 

Fat Hen seems to survive composting as does Goosegrass (cleavers).  Courgettes and squashes are very good at dealing with weeds.   

What about growing phacelia on fallow beds?  It provides bio matter, it feeds the bees, it suppresses the weeds and a few minutes with a hoe and it is gone.

[tomatoada]

I compost all mine, but make sure enough lawn cuttings, rhubarb leaves etc. are layed between them.  I also wait to use my compost for 12 months or more before spreading on the soil.  Hope this helps.

[aj]

If you are getting that many weeds each week, you need to take action to stop them coming in the first place.

I always use cardboard, and plant through that. If you don't like the look, scrape back the soil, put cardboard down and put the soil back on top. Then once the seeds have germinated, hoe once and you should be done. It's the perennials that take the work, and if their sunlight is blocked they are reduced dramatically.

You will always have weeds, it's just how to manage them that's changes it from back breaking work to actually quite easy.

[Digeroo]

I do not have enough space to wait 12 months for my compost.  I am just filled my bins with loads of grass clippings and it is already steaming nicely.  I shall stir it often to make sure it all gets heated up.  I shall be burying it in my bean trench for my last sowing at the end of June or use it for mulching before it becomes a slimey mess, so it has about 7 weeks before they will need planting out.  Putting it hot straight onto weeds certainly stops them in their tracks.   The next batch will be laid out on top of the soil  or buried in bean threnches  in the Autumn to make way for the bean stalks etc and the remains of the summer growth, which will then go into holes for the courgettes etc in the spring.  

The beds I spread with compost in the Autumn now have broad beans or tomatoes in them or are waiting for the Dwarf french, very few weeds in sight.   It forms a hard dry crust not sure the weed seeds like it.   But the soil is lovely and moist and crumbly underneath full of worms.  I just wish I had more to cover the whole allotment with it.

[goodlife]

I'll leave majority of my weeds in neat piles along the paths..bit of sun on their 'back sides' and they've all soon browned up nicely..and then they can be returned safely into shade amongst the plants as mulch.. ;D Anything more hardier..like dog roots and dandelions just need bit longer time on 'grill' and once fully roasted they are safe to return too. Trouble is my compost bins are getting less and less filling.
Even the bind weed roots are not a head ache for me anymore...once out in the fresh air they dry out quite quickly! ;D
Couple of weeks ago I used my dry weeds as mulch on top of the potatoes against frost..and it worked well.. ;)

[1066]

I do what Antipodes does with all the real nasties like thistles and bindweed and put them in old compost sacks (turned inside out), forget about them for a while and then either chuck them in the compost heap or dig them back in. I'm getting loads of thistles at the moment from where I've dug a new bed - pain in the proverbial but will be fine next year  :)

[lincsyokel2]

I throw weeds onto the paths or side of the beds, to wither and dry up.