Topic: Black Plastic Mulching Film

[Rox]

Hi everyone!  ;D
Has anyone used black plastic mulching film for veggies? What do you think of it? I am planning on using some for my raised bed this year (in which I'll grow courgettes, soya beans, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers). I'm keen to try not only for the weed-suppression benefit, but I've read that this raised soil temperatures making it ideal for veggie growing. The one problem I can see is how does one water then?  ??? Can I simply go from plant to plant with a watering can?
Would hugely appreciate any thoughts, advise, past experiences, etc...
cheers!  :D

[Moggle]

Soaker hose under the plastic?

[Simon05]

make sure that you put down some slug pellets before the plastic

[Rox]

why is that Simon? I would have thought the plastic in itself would deter them from chomping on any plants?   ;)

[wardy]

I think the sluggies and snails like the dark, damp atmosphere.  My black sheet mulch (which lets rain and air through) has been down since last October so I hope it's done a good job getting rid of weeds.  I thought I'd just turn it over on a nice day and let the birds eat any slugs and snails that might be stuck to it.  Then I'm going to plant my spuds there (where the sheet mulch has been) and plonk some manure under for good measure.  I'll make a hole in the sheeting and put the spud in.  that's the plan

[Simon05]

Rox, its because its damp underneath the plastic, we all know that slugs and snails will find a damp place, black plastic or any plastic is an ideal home for them

[diver]

I am growing onions and strawberries through black plastic at the moment....the underneath is covered with slug pellets....my problem was when I wanted to give them a feed of fish blood and bone...I had to use a liquid feed and go round with a watering can...but I have no weeds... yet !.....but how do you grow soya beans ?

[Roy Bham UK]

If you put holes in the black plastic sheeting, does that mean it has come to the end of it's life or can it still be used year in year out? ??? or will the weeds rush to the daylight holes? ???

[wardy]

I think the weeds will rush to the daylight holes.  If you have daylight holes you can cover em up with a phone book or lump of cardboard, or another bit of black plastic.   ;D

[chrispea27]

does anybody know where to get good value environmental fleece ? seems v expensive everywhere I have seen it? ;D

[djbrenton]

If you mean enviromesh, we sell it off the roll at £1.90/mt for 2.1?mt width if that's cheaper than elsewhere. Postage shouldn't be prohibitive.

[wardy]

got my fleece from Wilko  :)

[Rox]

I am growing onions and strawberries through black plastic at the moment....the underneath is covered with slug pellets....my problem was when I wanted to give them a feed of fish blood and bone...I had to use a liquid feed and go round with a watering can...but I have no weeds... yet !.....but how do you grow soya beans ?

Hi Diver,

I was going to sow soya beans in 3 inch pots and then transplant them when large enough - was going to merely cut some slits in the black plastic and plop them in. Don't know if this will work well- my first year trying it.   :)

[wardy]

I think that's the idea with black mulch to cut holes in it where you want your plant.  I've had some black good quality sheet mulch on a patch in my garden for 5 or 6 years (not got round to doing anything with it yet) and NOTHING has grown through it.  I have planted the odd shrub in it and they are growing very well.

I have some manure now so I'm going to chuck some of that under it as the soil was awful befor I covered it up.

[moonbells]

I was going to sow soya beans in 3 inch pots and then transplant them when large enough - was going to merely cut some slits in the black plastic and plop them in. Don't know if this will work well- my first year trying it.   :)

Hi Rox
I too have some Ustie soya beans to try. I got mine through the HDRA and their sheet said to treat like tender French Beans ie grow in pots and don't put out till June. Apparently best grown in blocks like sweetcorn as they will prop each other up. They grow to 4' high. I shall be using some of my broom handle collection at the corners of the block, and green twine between them to keep them upright, just in case we get breezy weather!

moonbells

[real food]

It depends  what you mean by black plastic mulching sheet. If it is the black shiny stuff, then you may get the problems previously mentioned. However, I have experimented with dull matt black porous ground fabric to suppress the weeds, and then make holes and plant through it. No problem with watering. It also stays moister under the fabric.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that my voracious slugs did not like it either. I think that they do not like the little light that gets through the pores of the fabric, and the trapped heat makes it too hot for them as well. The biggest problem is keeping it from blowing away in the wind. It lasted about 5 years in my strawberry patch. For other crops, I just lift and reuse the fabric.
I have even had good results using it for potatoes. Make holes in the fabric and use a dibber to make a hole in the soil about 6 ins deep. Push the potato to the bottom of the hole and cover with soil. As you cannot earth up the drills later, some of the potatoes may be affected by light. I have had very good clean crops using this method.
The cheapest source of the ground cover fabric that I have found is Poundstretcher or now called Savacenter. A roll 8 m x 1.5 m costs £4 in season.

[wardy]

I'm doing my spuds this way and will earth them  up with grass mowings or straw or leafy stuff.  It does tend to fly away so I hold it down with planks and bricks.  Doesn't look too pretty  ;D

[westsussexlottie]

Our son is going to grow sweetcorn and swiss chard through his black mulching film. He thinks it is "cool" that it won't need weeding. He also LIKES SLUGS. He collects them in my "slug prison"..... so perhaps black mulching film is perfect for his patch of the garden?

[clairenpaul]

Pleased to hear that growing through the black plastic is so popular!! We only got our lottie this year and have absolutely no chance of getting it all dug and weeded this year (well not if we actually want to grow anything as well) so we were planning on growing:
courgettes, french beans, cucumbers, strawberries, sweetcorn and peppers using the black stuff to cover the weeds. We have also got ours from poundstretcher (ours is now called Instore). Have had some disapproving looks from more experienced veggie growers when we mentioned it tho...

Have been told we may have a problem with courgettes as they like really rich soil - one of my workmates suggested cutting a 12" hole in the black plastic, digging a hole, filling it with manure and then piling the soil back on top to form a mound and then scooping the top out (so it looks like a mini volcano) before planting them. What do you think??

[wardy]

I'm doing that too.  I'm in the same circs as you re getting the allotment and getting something in it without having to do it all at once.  I have three lots of spuds under black sheet mulch and have my next raised bed piled up with manure (about a month old) and I'm going to plant courgettes and maybe corn and runner beans, might be all courgettes though as I have sown too many.  I'm not using any soil though for the spuds etc - just manure.  I cut holes through the plastic and dropped the spuds in.  Fingers crossed.