[Deborah1]

Like everyone else I imagine, I'm trying to find spaces to plant things - especially since most of the ground seems to be taken by potatoes  Anyway, I need to plant out cabbages and sprouts but the only place I have for them isn't great.
It hasn't grown brassicas for a while, so that's ok. It could do with a dig and a weeding (couch grass) and some manure. (Have some well-rotted.)
BUT
As brassicas want firm ground, not recently manured. Would I be better planting straight into it? Or forking lightly to lift out what couch grass roots I can? Or should I dig it over, weed and incorporate the manure and tread down firmly?
If anyone's around reading this this afternoon - instead of out there working I'd be glad of some opinions.
Thanks.

[Nobbie]

I'd give it a spray with glyphosate to kill the couch grass and then plant the Brussels direct and use the manure as a mulch to keep any further weeds down and retain moisture. The worms will gradually take it down into the soil by next spring.

[snowdrops]

You could cover with thick cardboard or newspaper to exclude the light, wet it well,then put on as much compost/well rotted manure as you can, plant straight into itthe cardboard should let you through if it’s very wet, try & cover back up to the stem with the paper,cardboard or even put more around to exclude the light so the couch grass doesn’t grow through, then by next year couch should be gone, you could even put weed suppressant over the top of the compost/manure & cut crosses to plant through, definitely no couch next year.

[Deborah1]

So, it seems that you both think that the firm ground is the more important than digging out the couch. That's fine by me! Thanks