When to cover up some plots

As this is my first year on the allotment, this may seem like a daft question but:

i wasn't sure if there is a hard and fast rule as to when to start covering over the plots or is it simply just a case of once i have harvested everything?
I have 26-30 different patches of either ground plots or raised beds, obviously the ones with Brassicas and Leeks are going to be left for now but i have for example created a garden area with semi hardy Palms and I also have a number or patches with Peas, Beans , Aubergines, Corn, Squashes which are on their last legs etc.

Also i have just planted types of Garlic in a large recently cleared bed, do i cover them or leave it open to the elements?

 

What are you planning / meaning by "cover up"?

 

Closing down some plots and covering over with carpets etc for the winter.

 

Seems to be the "in" thing these days, most of the allotment site I'm on is dissappering under blue tarpaulins.

Not sure why, during the winter, I certainly wouldn't cover any crops you intend growing, like garlic.

To my mind its best dug over rough at this time of the year and either left to its own devices or planted with green manure.

 

OK perhaps for new plot holders initially dealing with an overgrown plot, but leave them down for any length of time and rubberised backings start disintegrating and polluting the soil, then the nylon thread weave gets assimilated into the topsoil and disrupts digging, planting and especially rotorvating as they clog the tines.

They disintegrate.

Heavy duty polythene will keep an Autumn cultivated bed weed free and stop wet winter/spring waterlogging, enabling a weed free seed bed to be quickly established the following year.

I'm in favour of using Mypex http://gardenerscorner.co.uk/forum/...ssing-membrane-mypex.68728/page-2#post-830668

 

Not covering mine up this year. Can't be bothered.

 

I can't see any benefit covering with, say, carpet for the winter, particularly if the soil is heavy.

Weeds are hardly going to grow in winter, and frost is good for the soil (if we get any!)

Cover it with several inches of manure/compost and let the worms pull it in ... or sow a Green Manure crop perhaps?

 

Agreed. Some of the membrane I have been pulling back has truly awful soil underneath. Dried up with big cracks in it. Will take me a lot of work to improve imo.

 

Sis covered part of the plot with an old pond liner last year, haven't been able to use that bit this year due to the really aggressive ants that built a hill under it.

 

Thanks for the replies so far, i will leave the garlic open, for now i have carpets down to protect the roots of my palms over the winter. I will leave the rest open to the elements.

 

I've 50:50 on sowing a Green Manure (after manuring etc.) and then incorporating that in the Spring and replacing the Mypex then. (Actually probably leaning towards 70:30 in favour of the green manure)

 

Have never covered at all in 60 years as a gardener

 

I haven't covered for 40 years either ... but now covering when I grow crops and reduced maintenance down to almost zero, saving several hours a week

 

It saves me more time than that. I've recently laid some more Mypex and planted nearly 300 strawberry plants through it which wont require any more maintenance for a few years, other than harvesting the runners and fruit. Cost me about £20 and will save many days of work every year.

As I've got about 8 areas like that with all sorts of other crops in, I'm saving weeks of work every year. Writing the cost off over say 5 years, that works out at about only £1 per week of growing season enabling me to do lots other fun stuff rather than spend loads of boring time weeding and hoeing, plus there's reduced watering, better yields, no rain splashed mud on crops, cleaner surfaces to kneel on, etc.

The only problem is that it's more difficult to deal with ants nests under it using my traditional methods of boiling water or lighting a bonfire on top of them, but I've got plenty of ant bait station twin packs reduced 50p and Doff ant powder 300g reduced to 50p from B&M.