Allotments 4 All

I have abit of ground which had alot of couch grass on it last year.I have cleared as much as I can and thought I may grow potatoes under black plastic which would allow me to get a crop whilst covering the ground and hopefully eliminate the rest of the weeds and grass.Has anyone tried this method and do you think it would work ie provide a crop and help clear the ground?
Do I just slit the plastic and sow the spuds?

Yes, dig in the edges of the Black plastic, plant spuds through slits, and I would top mulch it with grasscuttings later on. When finished a lot of couch regrowth will be light, spindly and on or near the surface...
::)

I did this last year for exactly those reasons. It worked very well and put leeks there after without any reinfestation. However, I planted the spuds then covered them, I slit the holes when the shoots pressed against the covering to let them through.

I can't quite see how this method would work. Once you have slit the polythene and let the green through wouldn't it then grow tall and spindly and how would you earth up the potatoes, sorry if that sounds thick it is our first year with the allotment. It would be great if you just lifted the polythene and there were loads of clean spuds. We don't have any problem with couch grass as far as I know but I am all for making things easier and cleaner.

It works!

Quote from: worldor on February 03, 2007, 05:03:05
It would be great if you just lifted the polythene and there were loads of clean spuds.

That's exactly what happens :) You have to do it to believe it.
If you want to support the haulms and/or suppress perennial weeds, you can mulch with straw around the plants and scooch it away at harvest time (equivalent to saddad's lawn mowings).
I use black plastic for clearing ground and growing spuds in the first couple of years. Then I prefer to use a plastic-free no-dig method: http://www.organicgardening.org.uk/organicgardening/nd_spuds.php :)

One possible problem is/are slugs, they love the moist warm conditions under the plastic (slipping a few slow worms in may help

Phil

You could do sweet potatoes the same way ??? ??? ???

and has anyone got any slow worms spare  ???

according to sue strickland, sweet potatoes grow up though,  :)

Sweet potatoes need lost of warmth and are best grown under cover, if you want a half decent yeild

A lady at last week's potato day said that she had good result sform growing them in a mould of old grobag compost against a south facing wall in a lean to greenhouse

Phil