Soil level in squash bed

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Offwego

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Soil level in squash bed
« on: January 13, 2018, 23:08 »
I want to raise the soil level in my new squash bed and also have some turf from my old grassed paths, I was thinking that I could put this turf upside down on the bed and cover the whole bed with black plastic and when it comes to planting the squash and marrows simply cutting pockets out and leaving the plastic for the whole year.
I think this should not only produce some nice loam but also in doing so also raise the levels

Any thoughts on pros and cons please?

Aesthetic of the plastic doesn't overly concern me as the marrows and squashes will cover most of it anyway
« Last Edit: January 13, 2018, 23:11 by Offwego »

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mumofstig

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Re: Soil level in squash bed
« Reply #1 on: January 13, 2018, 23:22 »
It would work to rot the grass, but If you leave solid black plastic on for any length of time the soil dries hard as no rain water or air can get through at all.
I think you'd do better changing the bed covering to weed control fabric (yuzet sort) and planting through holes in that.

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Offwego

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Re: Soil level in squash bed
« Reply #2 on: January 13, 2018, 23:30 »
Good shout, I will do that.

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sunshineband

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Re: Soil level in squash bed
« Reply #3 on: January 14, 2018, 10:00 »
If you can plan the planting holes in advance, adding a good dollop of well rotted manure in them will get the plants off to a flying start. You will have to cut them through the roots of the turf, so doing it prior to installing the membrane might be easier
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compostqueen

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Re: Soil level in squash bed
« Reply #4 on: January 24, 2018, 14:02 »
The black sheet mulch is excellent stuff as it lets rain through   The foliage will hide  it   Actually covering the manureis a good idea as blackbirds chuck it all over the place 😃




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