[Floody]

I had some well rotted cow manure delivered last weekend.  I read that I should spread it on bare soil in a layer 2 or 3 inches thick and let it over Winter.  Then, come Spring, just dig in what is left prior to planting. 

All well and good, but I really want to avoid having to dig up thousands of weeds in the Spring.  I'm not confident that such a thin layer will suppress weeds all that much.  So my question is, would it be the right thing to do to place weed suppressant fabric over the freshly manured soil and leave it on until Spring?

What d'you reckon?  As usual, many thanks in advance for your comments. 

[snowdrops]

You could but the weeds will just germinate then. You could allow the weeds to germinate then cover to exclude light which should kill them. Each time you dig you will no doubt get a fresh flush of weeds.

[bravemurphy]

I rekon the worms would have a field day under it and make it nice twice as quick, also the rain would not wash as many  nutrients with it being covered.

[cadalot]

I laid my manure and coved with weed membrane and the worms did all the work for me last year.

[m1ckz]

ive covered all mine this ..we will see how it goes

[Welsh Merf]

Aha! Another interesting thread! It was exactly what I was thinking of doing as well. Might just give it a go now!

[cadalot]

Merf - is that before or after you make your beds smaller 

[Welsh Merf]

I've made my bed - now I've got to lay in it. 

[mumofstig]

and don't forget to put the blanket on 

[LotuSeed]

I put manure down and cover with weed fabric. Keeps the weeds down and warms the soil up faster in the spring.  Any weeds that have formed underneath are rather week and etiolated so are easy to get rid of.

[Yorkshire Lass]

What an interesting thread I have just stumbled upon.

So my manure delivery was a little late this year i.e. a couple of days ago. Would it be ok to place manure on my plot then a weed suppressant layer, I am a bit worried I would be trapping the frost in at this time of year.

Or is that a foolish thought 

[mumofstig]

I really wouldn't lay it over frosted/frozen ground........ but otherwise it'll be fine.

[Kristen]

Not sure the ground being frozen would bother me. The black membrane will heat up well in the sun, and maybe heat up the soil under it more (than uncovered soil). I can't see it heating up the soil "less" ??

I now have everything covered with Mypex as, starting last year, I am growing all vegetable crops through Mypex (for less irrigation in drought and almost nil weeding), and I have just left the Mypex, from last year's crop, in place [I will "crop rotate" the Mypex in the Spring);  I have spread manure and replace the Mypex over the top.

[cadalot]

I have left one bed uncovered at the moment as I need to weld the edges of the weed membrane to stop it fraying but as soon as that's done it will be covered

[Kristen]

Good use for all sort of weighting-down objects there!!

I use pieces of old (fairly thick) fencing wire, 2' long or so with a further foot or so bent at right-angles to make "legs", they seem to have held my membrane down in the highest winds, and came of rolls of wire from old fencing that I thought I would be able to reuse one day - the reality is that it was never possible to re-tension used wire sufficiently to make a good job, so I think this is a better second-use