Topic: What veg can be grown through plastic?

[lewic]

I've got a two foot deep trench along one side of my plot where there used to be an old fence, and have been filling it with the couch-infested topsoil from the rest of the plot, to get it all levelled. 

My plan is to chuck manure and compost on top, then put weed membrane over it, and leave it til the couch rots down (its been Roundupped a couple of times, but some of it survived) and grow throught the plastic.

Other than courgettes/squash, what I could grow? There is a trellis fence running up that side of the plot and it would be a shame not to use it - would beans and peas work?

[Tee Gee]

Have you considered growing things in containers or as ring culture?  i.e. using old buckets/ barrels and the like.

You can sit these on top of your membrane for this year.

Or you could even put down a couple of scaffold planks and fill the void with manure and grow pumpkins,courgettes and squashes.

If you do this you can then dig in this manure next year.

Hope that sets you thinking  ???

[Old bird]

Hi Lewic

I did this with one bed - and I use the term loosely!

It was on an unused part of my allotment and I decided to cover the weeds and use it for storing manure for a year to rot down I then decided (it was about a foot deep) to just use said bed for courgettes and the like.  It worked perfectly!  None of the weeds came through and the courgettes did well - I still haven't "dug" this patch and I am just adding further mulch and see how it works.  Currently it has PSB in and I have just put my early potatoes in.  I haven't used any plastic over the top or anything like that!

Good luck with yours!

Old Bird

 ;D

[lewic]

Hmm. Havent thought about growing in containers (other than tomatoes) but might try a couple of different plants to see what works. The downside is having to buy loads more compost though!

[1066]

If you want to use the trellis what about cucumbers, tomatoes, dwarf french beans?
1066

[PurpleHeather]

There is no reason at all why peas or beans, would not grow as you describe.

Sounds like a great idea to me.

The manure and top soil you put on will keep sinking down and I would suggest that you make sure the plastic can be lifted so that you can add more material to it when you have harvested.

 

[daileg]

Lewic

what springs to mind is either pumkins as you say or squash various as they too can be grown up trellis so you can have room for different varities and they stoor well throughout the winter