We started from scratch with our veg patch two weekends ago. It was a wilderiness of couch grass that's been undisturbed for at least a decade. Part of it was an old home-made swimming pool (so lots of brittle/aged blue liner). Previous owners had filled in pool with old metal scrap, rocks, rubbish, soil , wire, old metal animal cages, broken glass, plastic bags-waste!!!etc.
We have been digging it out then for a total of 4 days and although it's backbreaking (understatement) we have now got a clear area of 21 by 12 feet plus cleared area that now has a 8 by 6 greenhouse.
However.....the weeds we have been taking out have roots that are as thick as my thumb and much thicker and very very deep...lots of threadlike ones too....My fear is that because we didn't use weedkiller first have we really now got a good area to plant in, or are the weeds going to grow back like demons?
Jackie
be glad you didn't use poison!! yes, some of the weeds will re-grow, but you will win, honest!
cover over any bare soil, otherwise annual weeds will sprout before you need to plant your stuff!
(you can let the annual weeds sprout, then cover them with a light excluding mulch, that will then kill them!) ;)
most annuals are weeds of freshly disturbed ground
I would like to see glass banned on allotments and plotholders fined for dumping rubbish! Good luck clearing it, I sympathise.
Quote from: lewic on April 26, 2009, 07:47:53
I would like to see glass banned on allotments and plotholders fined for dumping rubbish! Good luck clearing it, I sympathise.
Thanks for the support we are going for it again today....bought a huge bag of cinnamon sweeties so that will keep us going :)
Agree about dangers of the glass!! Believe it or not, this is a garden! It had dozens of conifers in it right close to windows when we moved in. It will be worth it though, it's a idyllic place, lots of wildlife and the soil is largely medium loam, under the couch and docks :)
We were in a similar situation, although we made the weed situation worse at first by rotorvating - it cut the weeds up and they grew back vigorously! We found that covering areas with weed suppressant at first, then plant out and cover with mulch. Once the busy period is over ie structure/clearing/planting out is over you will be glad you had those gentle hoeing/weeding jobs to fill your time ;) Feels good not using any chemicals, always raises a smile when I take a bite out of any of my produce :)
I dont think glass should be banned from allotments, what i do think though is that growers need to be more responsible and remember that they are just caretakers for that piece of land and be mindfull of the future growers!
Weather is good today - have a good one!!
Would love to see some before and after pics, Hector! Welcome to the site, by the way!
Some of your docks will regrow, but don't panic. They can only regrow from the top few inches of root, so if you leave the bottom end in the soil, it just rots. You'll miss some (I always do) but they don't spread, so you'll get them next year, or when you clear a bed for the next crop. The biggest problem is likely to be seedlings, as seed remains viable for a century at least. Don't get behind with the weeding!