Total Newbie

[BoardStupid]

Hi a4a,
I took over a half plot at the end of may. I managed to clear so much to get a few rows of spuds in which have produced well. So am eager to prepare for next year. Unfortunately the plot hasn't been cultivated in 15years and is covered with in order of size, bindweed, couch grass, horsetail and bramble, plus others I haven't been able to identify. These have multiplied due to my inability to attend regularly through work and other stuff.

My question are : Should I use a weedkiller or struggle with the digging ? and Which weedkiller should I use, roundup in garden centre strength doesn't seem to touch it. Oh plot is 14m x 7 m

Any advice is greatly appreciated. I have plot on my own with no help :-(
Adam

[BoardStupid]

[daisymay]

Hi welcome to the site .... and welcome to the club! Quite a few of us in your boat, me included. I got my lottie in June and am still only managing to grow bindweed and couchgrass (apart form a plum tree which I inherited)  so you have done better than me!

There is generally a concensus that the hard graft route is best as chemicals do nuke the nutrients in the soil. Even if you do use chemicals you would prob need to still dig it over, preferably adding some enrichment - manure/ compost etc.....

This has come up quite a few times in the past, so have a flick through the basics and edible's sections, or try doing some searches to find previous similar questions.

Some people recommend covering sections of the lottie in old carpet or thick plastic till you have the time/ energy to dig it, for example.

[spacehopper]

Hi Adam, welcome to the boards! :)
If you don't want to use chemicals then strinning or chopping the weeds then covering the ground that you are not working is probably the best way forwards.

[Moggle]

I have used permeable black weed fabric on one bindweed infested bed, cut holes in it, and planted dwarf and climbing beans through the holes. I would say this has been reasonably successful so far. The dwarf ones have been munched quite a bit by slugs, but the climbers have done well. You can pull out the weeds appearing in the gaps as they appear or as you have time, and as the plants get bigger, there seems to have been less appearing.

I have also covered other bits of my plot with black plastic, and will be digging them over in the next few months.

[wardy]

I like the black sheet mulch route too.  I planted spuds in it and all the foliage soon covers the plastic so you can't see it so it doesn't look unsightly.  I'm growing squashes all over it too.  It's killing two birds with one stone.  You're supressing weeds and using it to grow on or in at the same time  :)