War on weeds!

Hi Holly,

If starting on a new plot, and wanting to remain organic (ie not using weedkillers or other chemicals) then double dig the soil and remove as much of the insitu weed roots as possible, especially dock, nettle, bindweed, thistle and dandelion. Once cleared then cover with weed control fabric / cardboard (ask at local Halfords for their waste bike boxes, they work great) / old tent material or black plastic to stop anything being able to grow back!

Plant as much of your crops as possible (brassicas, squashes, greenhouse borders) through a weed control fabric, it really helps keep the weeds down and makes plot maintenance and weeding a much easier chore! Also sink upturned pop bottles (with their bottoms cut off) next to your plants and only water into these, reduces water wasteage and limits the amount of water that the weeds get access to!

I'm putting a mulch of cardboard boxes and newspaper over my plot at the moment to keep the soil weed free, hold it in place with bricks or clods of earth but once it's sodden it'll stay there!
I put grass clippings and more newspaper in between rows of veg during the summer for the same reason and top up as needed.

Mulch with cardboard and straw. Both degrade and get added to the compost bins.

I spent the last 2 years trying to dig out horsetail (or is it Marestail, I always get mixed up). Although the ground where I have already dug is now easier to get the new growth out of, I still feel it is a losing battle and have now bought 3 humungous rolls of weed suppressant fabric to put down as soon as the allotment is dry enough for me to get on to. I will cut holes and plant through it for this year and probably 2012 too, and then see if I dare lift it in 2013

I think it's important to remember that you will never have a weed free season. You can keep them under control but you'll never beat them - if you try you'll just end up frustrated and feeling like a failure.

This year I plan to have more sink holes - bottles or pots buried in the ground - in order to water into rather than watering the surface. We have no water supply so this way I'll save water, make every drop count and also keep the surface drier, which will not only cut down on weeds growing (hopefully) but might even deter slugs. I'm also planning (I stress PLANNING - doesn't necessarily mean I will) on doing more inter-planting of flowers and other bits and bobs in order to fill the gaps. If there's other stuff growing then the weeds will find it harder to rear their heads. Note these are all ideas I have gleaned from the Vine and it's wonderful members

Now, this may sound odd, but I'd recommend getting a tortoise. They eat weeds and I pick so many to feed mine that I don't have any left. Actually, I end up having to grow them specially or digging them up and potting them on to keep stock for feeding.

I planted some ground cover herbs in the gaps between things, (tymne, oregano and chervil) then you get double the taste pleasure and harvest.

Having been around allotments for a very long time the only weed free ones I have seen all belong to people who are experts with a hoe. I'm sure that mulches work to a certain extent but mares tail just continues to grow underneath them especially when using plastic or weed control fabric.

Ian

I think I must have a bit of the David Bellamy in me. There's nowt I like better than getting down on my hands and knees and getting up close and personal with weeding.

Mucky hands and nettled fingers is what gardening is all about to me!

Never tried it but did hear that a 60/40 mix of vinegar / liquid soap made into a spray will act as a weedkiller. Soap to 'stick' to the weeds and the vinegar draws out the moisture in the weed so killing it.

Somebody may just confirm this!

I know you said ideas other than but really there is no substitue for getting down and pulling the weeds up. Quite satisfying too.

We all know there is only one true way to deal with weeds and it has been said many times already....up close and personal. Dig them up, throw them away and have the temptation of a cold beer (cup of tea, choccie biscuit etc) at the end of it all your hard work as a suitable reward :-)

I think we have to acknowledge first of all that to have a totally weed free allotment is an impossibility and that we are affected to a great extent by external factors.

If there is open countryside close to our allotments sites or if there are untended allotments on the site, we will unfortunately have an influx of windblown seed.

Having won the best allotment competition in Aberdeen as part of the Council's In Bloom activities, I must say that the weather also makes a huge difference in keeping an allotment clean. The year I won - 2003- was really hot and dry and weeds simply just did not germinate. That year was unusual though.

My recipe is simple, dig over the vegetable plot anytime from October onwards. That way, any existing weeds are buried and will compost down. At that time of year, it is generally too cold for weed seeds to germinate and the plot will remain clean overwinter. Thereafter, it is a case of keeping the hoe in regular use. Even if there are no signs of weeds, those under the soil which have germinated but not surfaced will be destroyed. That is it in a nutshell. Regular hoe use and some hand weeding around plants that are inaccessible to the hoe. In my strawberry bed, I cover the ground between the roes with black permeable membrane and in my poly tunnel, I plant through black and white polythene(white side up) which maintains moisture but prevents weed growth. . In other areas, I cover the ground with peat based compost previously used for growing exhibition potatoes.

Hi Guys

I'm just planting some strawberry plants at the moment into a new bed, I've suffered badly with weeds, as it was only field up until last October, last year, I lost all my onions to weeds surpressing them.

So this year I want to be prepared.

Can I use straw/hay from my chicken coop? I clean them out daily and at the moment its going in the compost, but they are filling rapidly and I wondered if I could spread it around the strawberries and or other plans