Topic: Black fleece

[Veggie Mad]

Help!  I planted several vegetables - lettuce, radish, runner beans, drawf beans, peas, onions and spring onions - the problem is i have covered everything with a black fleece to stop weeds from growing, the problem is i think it has stopped everything from growing/germinating.  Should the vegetables germinate under the fleece?  OR should I only place the fleece on once everything has germinated?

[Diana]

I think, from what you've said, you should have laid the fleece, grown everything in modules, then cut slits in the fleece + planted through.

Correct me if I'm wrong guys

D

[tim]

As I see it , 'fleece' is light permeable & needs to be covered with a mulch to supress weeds. For potatoes, one uses solid black plastic & cuts slits over the tubers.

No - never sow under fleece or whatever. Even though you can sow 'dark' in the greenhouse - watching it every day.

[real food]

I have been using black weed control/black fleece fabric for two years now and using it to suppress the weeds, while sowing seeds "through it", with great success.
For sowing things like fennel, parsnips, rainbow chard, turnips, I cut out circles about 50mm across in the fabric, and sow the seeds, where the circles have been.
For the likes of carrots, peas, beans, beetroot, raddish, lettuce, parsley etc., I cut 250mm X50mm slits in the fabric, and again sow "through" the fabric.
The main problem is anchoring the fabric to the ground, and stopping it flapping around in the wind. This can damage the young emerging seedlings.
See my previous postings re the use of black ground control fabric, about 4 weeks ago. :D

[teresa]

To anchor it to the ground you need tent  pegs that keep it down,
last year my lottie the seeds were had by magpies and brave pidgons so used white fleece to cover untill they began to grow.
Teresa