FERNS! millions of them growing in my veg plot!!

HELP..................I have hundreds of tiny ferns coming through all over my garden, they are taking over!! it is like the day of the triffids
I have been pulling them out, digging up the roots where I can, When I have dug up the roots they seem to extend forever under the garden. I've even tried painting a bit of weed killer on near the base of those I can't pull out, but they just keep coming back grrrr

Please help, how can I get rid of the ferns?
thanks
abbs

 

From your description, it sounds like more like Mare's Tail (Equisetum arvense) rather than any type of fern.
To get rid of it, you have to be very persistent. Some good advice here:
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/Profile.aspx?pid=257

Or move house.

 

Or is it bracken? That's coming up now, and it appears like evil little serpent things as it comes up.

 

Yes that's the one!! BRACKEN!! horrible tiny little things all over

 

Good point Clueless, I hadn't considered bracken.
Slightly easier to get rid of than Mare's tail, again you have to keep at it though.
Give it a good thrashing then apply some Roundup (damaging the leaves first improves the effectiveness of the weedkiller).
Or, persistent hoeing will eventually drive it away.

 

Thanks Trunky, I just found bracken on that link you sent. It gave some good tips like your self but looks like it is going to be a long drawn out affair to get rid of the stuff

 

and thanks clueless, I knew it had a name but couldnt think of it haha.

 

When its just coming up, it is very flexible, so its not easy to snap and its hard to grip to pull it out.

When it gets to about 8 inches tall it becomes more rigid, then you can often just either yank it out or simply smash it off at the base with a hoe.

I personally don't see the point of treating bracken with weedkiller, because unlike most weeds, bracken doesn't propagate from actual seed, but more like spores that travel freely in the air, so unless you have your own helicopter and can bombard the surround area, you'll never stop it entirely. I remember a few years ago there was a bit of outrage in the Peak District because they decided to do aerial bombardment of the moors to tackle the bracken. After a few weeks of the landscape just looking a bit of a mess, the weedkiller wore off, then it was a race between all the survive plants to fill the space. Guess which grows fastest.

 

I remember that, it was a horrible mess!
I have been pulling them up like you said, but this week (I don't know if it is because we got the sunshine?) this week they have just gone mental, everywhere I look ......... trouble is I really don't want them in the veggies.
guess I shall have to keep pulling.

I have been digging a new bed in and tried pulling the roots right out, but there are so many bits of roots it is impossible. Then there are what looks to be dead roots but when I break it ... it has a really soggy inside (is like when you accidentally squash a slug in your hand ewww)
All of this I am letting dry out in the sun and will probably throw it in the bin after,
Was going to put it in the compost but worried that it will just re-infest (yes I feel like it is an infestation lol) my plot.

On the link above it says that it is ok to put in the compost but just a tiny root will grow into another fern and I really don't want to risk that.