Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat
Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: pottylotty1 on April 07, 2018, 17:47
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Hi all
Just back from our first visit to the allotment. We have eight raised beds on our plot. What weedkiller would you suggest we use on our paths in between the beds. We don't want harmful chemicals seeping into to our raised beds for obvious reasons. I look forward to hearing all your comments.
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Im not a fan of weed killer anyway, but what about putting cardboard down on your paths? It’ll suppress the weeds and will kill them over time as you are blocking the light.. you sometimes need to put another layer later in the season but it’s really worked well for me
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I'm with Potterer; don't use weedkiller at all, just prevent them from coming up in the first place.
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Glyphosate is the answer to your question - whether you should use any weedkillers at all is completely up to you and a different topic :D
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The best weed killer is a sharpened hoe and righteous anger :D Just think of the calories burned...
Failing that, as above say, either supress with cardboard or other covering or bite the bullet and glysophate the evil greenies.
I like to hoe them and rake the larger weeds off to shove into my compost heap. Make the invaders contribute to next year's harvest.
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I use cardboard & with chippings on top.
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get some roundup no fuss no weeds after a couple of weeks get planting I've found it the best way never had any probs from using it as for chemicals what do you think the commercial growers use on there veg crops water :D :D :D
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get some roundup no fuss no weeds after a couple of weeks get planting I've found it the best way never had any probs from using it as for chemicals what do you think the commercial growers use on there veg crops water :D :D :D
That is why some people like to grow their own, so they can eat veg which doesn't have all sorts of artificial chemicals sprayed on it, but each to their own.
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Thanks for the advise. I didn't realise how anti some people can be. I'll think twice before posting any more comments.
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Thanks for the advise. I didn't realise how anti some people can be. I'll think twice before posting any more comments.
Weedkiller is always an emotive subject, but it’s your allotment so you can do as you like, the other thing about questions on here or elsewhere ask 5 gardeners a question & get 10 answers 😄. In a few years you’ll have the experience to know what you want & what works for you.
I try very hard not to use any chemicals but have on occasions had to resort to glyphosate. This year I’m going more over to no dig as it fits in with my principles more as I get older (and not because of not digging) . Again I know this brings about a strong reaction from some people, but they can do their gardening how they like & I can do the same. Don’t lose heart with us on here, we are a friendly bunch really😊😉
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Hi pottylotty as snowdrops says chemicals are an emotive subject so don’t be put off posting in general. Personally I try to use non chemical methods wherever possible but sometimes glycophosphate is the simplest solution to rapidly clearing a heavily weed infested area.
Cheers HH
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Thanks for the advise. I didn't realise how anti some people can be. I'll think twice before posting any more comments.
pottylotty, no need to get the huff. You asked for advice and you got it. As people have said in the replies, some people are ok with weed killer and others not. You just do best for you. I don't use it myself, not that I am against it, I just prefer using a hoe.
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Yes, please carry on posting :)
In the gardening world some people get quite entrenched opinions and are sure that their way is the only way.
Don't use non-organic fertilisers, don't use slug pellets, don't use weedkiller, don't use f1 seeds, don't spray pests and the latest one is don't dig at all. ever! They all raise considerable debate when posted about :D
As has been said already, what you do, and how you grow things, is entirely up to you.
The others are only voicing their own choices and we certainly don't agree over everything - other than that we all love to garden :lol:
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I use wood chips it works extremely well stops the weeds and the mud then after a while dig them up and you’ll have amazing compost/mulch
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I use wood chips it works extremely well stops the weeds and the mud then after a while dig them up and you’ll have amazing compost/mulch
That is what I'm planning to do, make proper paths with woodchip. I've been informed they help to reduce slug problems. It is just a case of where to source woodchip.
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On our site of 200 + plots, we've sort of found out roughly 4 from 5 avoid weedkillers, 3 out of 5 avoid pesticides. Don't really know the fertiliser split, although we sell far more of the organic BFB etc than Growmore.
New plot holders tend to be more likely to use weedkiller and/or an initial rotovator to get over the hump of the first dig, including paths, which is sometimes quite daunting. Expedience is the initial driver given the state of some of the plots. As people get into it and get their plots under control, other methods come to the fore, as knowledge increases and people clock all manner of ways of dealing with the weeds, and of course they make invaluable compost when rotted down . There definitely seems a desire to gravitate away from weedkilling, rather than toward it. Cardboard seems very popular, carpets almost a total no no these days, but weed suppressing woven groundcover seems the favourite. Woodchip mulch is the preferred method for the paths for all sorts of reasons including worms, but that depends on when free bulk deliveries arrive. I think someone on here was going to try using prolific green manures on their paths to smother weeds. That sounded an interesting idea.
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I used google search yellow pages and local papers looking for tree surgeons they usually happy to drop them off for you
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Like Notty1975 we get our woodchip from our local tree surgeon. Provided we bring our own bags we can take as much as we want for free. They would be drowning in the stuff otherwise.
After initial clearing of the paths we put down weed suppressant fibre then covered with woodchip. We just top it up every year.
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I tend to not use weed membrane as it’s easier for the worms to come up and do their work I also found that the c:n ratio is such that anything green that try’s to appear no matter strong the plant/weed that the said plant/weeds nitrogen is instantly taken in the decomposition process and kills it before it can get a hold not had any weeds on my paths in the last few years and when we took the plots on it was 6ft high in nettles and brambles
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lets not get all huffy about these replies its only our advise at the end of the day what you do or is up to you its not in tablets of stone yep you do your own thing all we do at the end of the day is ask for an opinion
see I take the view I ask our members for there advise because I have found very good replies from what I call real professional gardeners with the knowledge they share with all of us because ones never to old the learn
for me i'm not anti chemical or organic so i can take any criticism anyone throws at me for my views on these topics water of a ducks back for me
but having said all that youv'e got a good bunch of fellow members on this site who are dedicated gardeners and really down to arth good people to boot :D
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Like Notty1975 we get our woodchip from our local tree surgeon. Provided we bring our own bags we can take as much as we want for free. They would be drowning in the stuff otherwise.
After initial clearing of the paths we put down weed suppressant fibre then covered with woodchip. We just top it up every year.
This is what we do, and after seven years the paths are so deep they are as high as the raised bed . edges :lol: :lol: I am now digging it all out and starting again, a path at a time. Down under the top layer of chippings is good deep dark brown mulch, filled with worms (which got there somehow! and is just the job for adding to the soil on our adjoining (two year old) plot where it is very short on organic matter.
I know this is not a reply re the original question about weedkiller, but the subject seems to have diversified somewhat and I wanted to share our experience because it surprised me what volume of compost is under there!
And we get out woodchippings from the council tree-team, so it might be worth contacting yours if you'd like a delivery
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I had a really bad time with mine when we took it on apart from being ridiculously overgrown the “paths” that were there they used carpet and roofing felt as the path what a nightmare all the weeds and stuff had just grown through not to mention all the pains of glass and metal they buried
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Try the local tree surgeons for woodchip. We have a guy who will dump big loads to our site.
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It's sort of related to the weed question on paths. In my mind paths are sometimes a neglected part of the allotment eco system. Ever since we managed to ensnare some tame arborists, they deliver regular quantities of free woodchip. It's a fantastic resource, and as others have said a deep luxurious woodchip path soon develops, full of worms working away, with only the odd bit of grass seeding itself in amongst the chips.
Every two years, once 2 or 3 inches of the mulch has been broken down, I move some of my paths to make way for my latest vision :)leaving a lovely fertile composted weed free soil that just needs a light digging. In effect I treat my paths as fallow future beds full of everything required, bar a bit of chicken manure.
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Im not a fan of weed killer anyway, but what about putting cardboard down on your paths? It’ll suppress the weeds and will kill them over time as you are blocking the light.. you sometimes need to put another layer later in the season but it’s really worked well for me
We are not allowed to use cardboard unless it is covered with mulch, and no free woodchip deliveries on our site either :(
I have grass paths and an electric strimmer - at least after raking the cuttings up they can go in the compost bins :)
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Like Notty1975 we get our woodchip from our local tree surgeon. Provided we bring our own bags we can take as much as we want for free. They would be drowning in the stuff otherwise.
After initial clearing of the paths we put down weed suppressant fibre then covered with woodchip. We just top it up every year.
Anne
Wondered where you get your wood chip as we are near you and needing to cover my newly placed paths?
Have looked into buying some but reluctant to as doesn't fit in with my allotment ethos of minimal spending :D
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Whereabouts are you could possibly give some numbers as a have plenty at the moment and my chippings guy is always looking for new places to drop them as it saves them money
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Thanks for the advise. I didn't realise how anti some people can be. I'll think twice before posting any more comments.
pottylotty, no need to get the huff. You asked for advice and you got it. As people have said in the replies, some people are ok with weed killer and others not. You just do best for you. I don't use it myself, not that I am against it, I just prefer using a hoe.
Yes, it is each to their own. But the question was about weed killers not about weedkiller versus mechanical weed control.
I'm a round up user when necessary. If you need or want to use chemical control this is the best in my opinion!
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Like Notty1975 we get our woodchip from our local tree surgeon. Provided we bring our own bags we can take as much as we want for free. They would be drowning in the stuff otherwise.
After initial clearing of the paths we put down weed suppressant fibre then covered with woodchip. We just top it up every year.
Anne
Wondered where you get your wood chip as we are near you and needing to cover my newly placed paths?
Have looked into buying some but reluctant to as doesn't fit in with my allotment ethos of minimal spending :D
Hi Chilli. We get ours from GP Gill tree surgeons. They are on Tong Park Industrial Estate, half way up Hollins Hill on the left as you travel from Baildon to Guiseley. They have a website. Worth ringing them before you go to make sure someone is in the office. They give you a key to the gate at the back of the site. There is usually a vast mound of the stuff. Take your own bags and it is free.
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you must have a good council to give you free chippings for your allotments we don't get anything for free fro ours because there broke :(
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Like Notty1975 we get our woodchip from our local tree surgeon. Provided we bring our own bags we can take as much as we want for free. They would be drowning in the stuff otherwise.
After initial clearing of the paths we put down weed suppressant fibre then covered with woodchip. We just top it up every year.
Anne
Wondered where you get your wood chip as we are near you and needing to cover my newly placed paths?
Have looked into buying some but reluctant to as doesn't fit in with my allotment ethos of minimal spending :D
Hi Chilli. We get ours from GP Gill tree surgeons. They are on Tong Park Industrial Estate, half way up Hollins Hill on the left as you travel from Baildon to Guiseley. They have a website. Worth ringing them before you go to make sure someone is in the office. They give you a key to the gate at the back of the site. There is usually a vast mound of the stuff. Take your own bags and it is free.
Hi Anne
Thanks so much for your reply. Had been given rough price of £20 for builders sack full so this will be brilliant to get for free. Also means can keep paths topped up and spread it around my fruit bushes to keep the weeds down too.
We are near Birkenshaw fire station but will be well worth the journey to keep stocked up.
Thanks again
Jude