Weed Control

Hi All.

Finally went out and dug my veg beds yesterday, I must say im a little bit stiff today .

I still have to get the wood and soil but i was wondering if any of you have any views or ideas for keeping weeds to a minimum on a rasied bed. I was thiking of buying some of this Weed Control Fabric but in all the books im reading only one seems to mention this type of thing?

Thanks

 

Hi Mark, the best way to control weeds prior to planting, is to remove them via digging. I know its laborious, but it is the best way forward.

Weed control fabric will help but not eradicate the hardy weed, and time gained by using it will be wasted when eventually you have to dig the weeds out.

Bite the bullet and get digging. If you do 20 mins a day you'll get it done in no time. Try not to take on too much in one go - thats the secret.

I've just finished digging my plot (9' by 12') for the fourth time, and am only now happy that Im ready to start adding the raised beds. Incidentally, the foul weather has help my soil breakdown really well , from shoe box sized chunks of clay to tennis ball sized lumps! Im waiting eagerly now for the frost to do its bit.

Good luck to you on your plot. Remember, just do a bit at a time!

 

Mulch. If you keep 6-8" of organic mulch on your soil, you'll never get annual weeds and any perennials that make it through can be easily pulled out and will soon give up. I haven't needed to routinely dig, hoe or hand-pull weeds on my plot since this discovery - would rather spend my time sowing and harvesting!

 

I also use organic mulch. Found this out in an old percy thrower book. Still get occasional annual weed, but nothing I can't deal with.

Good Luck

 

Sorry guys, I should have said i have taken the turf off the plot and dug it over to at least a spades depth.
What i would like to do is once the bed is made and i have added the soil and compost i was thinking about covering the plot with the weed control fabric and plant through this like you do with flower beds.

 

Hi Mark, I use fabric to keep down the weeds around my brassicas and french beans and it works very well. I plant my leeks through black polythene.

 

hi folks. like Dave I use black weed fabric and it is a blessing.it is not expensive. I ordered 100 meter roll for my allotment.
Dave a question, I have ordered a glass greenhouse , the base plinth - do I need to set it in concrete.

 

I'm with Oktarine - before considering membrane - do your best to get rid of the perrenial weeds present. Then after that either membrane or deep mulch - but that does mean that you can't sow seeds - just plant established plants, and that the membrane will need replacing each year.

With a raised bed I would prefer simple weeding - however if faced with thugs like ground elder, and field bindweed (as my neighbours have shared with me) membrane and mulch works for me. I lost the battle with those thugs, despite my best endeavours.

 

You really need to set it on something heavy Fancy unless you want risk it blowing away. You could try breeze blocks or old sleepers if you don't want to mix concrete. In fact the easiest way might be to use a combination of breeze blocks or bricks set in concrete. Much depends on the size of the GH and the construction of the plinth that comes with it. Sorry to be a bit vague.

 

Thanks for the info, food for thought me thinks

 

My greenhouse was on a metal base. When the 100mph gales came, despite the weight of the glass in it, the metal base was pulled out of the ground and the aluminium frame was twisted off it and off course the glass smashed. However, it has survived for several years previously on the metal base.

Following this experience, I am in the process of making a hardcore base out of breezeblocks and cement and will be securing it at 12 inch intervals along the frame edge (as I was able to twist it back into shape being only aluminium, however the metal base is warped forever and now unusable).

If climate change is going to ensure that we have more violent storms like we have just had, I advise that you secure your greenhouse properly now, then you do not need to worry about it in the future.

By the way, the robinsons greenhouse website has some advice on ways to look after your greenhouse, like securing your glass with silicon, after making sure your rubber seals are intact.

Good Luck and happy greenhouse gardening!

 

I set my metal base on paving slabs and secured with bolts drilled through the metal base. Drilled holes in slabs and set bolts with cement

 

Thanks a lot guys for the info.I have ordered the greenhouse and they will erect it as well.