We recently took on a 2nd plot on our site. Must have had a mad moment somewhere along the line or been drinking too much vino collapso.
It's been covered in carpet for the last 3 years (if I hear anyone say "Good" then I'll scream). Not 1, not 2, not even 3 layers were down, but yes you've guessed - there were 4.
Completely untouched by human hand for all of the 3 years, soil had blown on and weeds (mostly the dreaded couch grass) had well and truly established on the top with roots well down thro all the carpet layers (previous owner had even laid carpet over carrier bags stuffed full of couch grass roots!). We needed a pick axe to lift it all. It was like lifting giant rolls of turf and took 3 large trailer loads to dispose of it at the council tip. The ground underneath resembled the surface of a motorway complete with crevices that could pass for the Grand Canyon. Oh, I almost forgot about the willow trees which were dotted about the plot even tho' we are nowhere near water. Unfortunately we did have to disturb the wildlife - grass snakes, bumblebee's nests and countless mice nests during the clearance. Neighbouring plot holder had been curious about the disappearance of his broad bean and pea seeds over the last couple of years.
Now that its 'open' ground the weeds are once again establishing nicely (really grateful for all the rain we're getting) so we're standing by with a large container of glyphosate spray (no I really do not have a problem using it at this stage), and an army of rotorvators are revving up as I type. When all of this has been completed, we'll be in there spades in hands and hopefully by the spring next year some sort of order will have been restored.
Thank goodness for our lovely Plot 1 complete with shed, primus stove and chairs - it's great to sit back and relax and watch the sun go down at the end of long hard days.
:o Flippin eck! :o I wouldn't have envied you taking on that lot :( sounds like the weeds have sewn the carpets to the ground ???
I think I too would have used spray after shifting that load and don't forget after you have finished rotovating and digging to place carpet down to suppress the weeds ;D ;D ;D (Joke)
Granny,
That carpet thing is a real bad business isn't it? We came across it working the second half of ours earlier this year, seems so innocent on the surface then suddenly the world is full of nylon mesh with couch, bindweed, rubber all joined together in a giant weed carpet a foot thick.
As you say just moving it around is a problem let alone getting it in th car - no trailer sadly!
It has just faded into a bad memory now thank goodness - like childbirth!
RosieM
I keep muttering to our allotment officer that carpet should be banned from the site.
P.S. Now discovered that the adjoining allotment holder has just laid carpet between his plot and ours to form a pathway -- Grrrr
Why? Why? Why?
Our site discourages carpet for that very reason - that and the hours it takes to disentangle a carpet from a rotavator if you didn't realise it was there...
There's an article in this months kitchen garden about caprets, and how some of them leach chemicals into the soil. So definitely worth avoiding!