[casper]

I went to my allotment yesterday to see the allotment at the side of mine had been taken over. It was unkemt last time I went, anyway all my membrane was gone and while I cannot be certain it all looks as though it has made an appearance on the plot next door To be honest it was not much good anyway and was recycled in the first place.
Now I want to purchase new stuff. A friend recommended visquine. He has a allotment of 30 years and swears by it. Its a bit pricey though. I am not too bothered if it saves me a job.
I need to cover parts of my allotment as costant digging is a bit disheartening.
I have an old leaky shed too and I thought a layer on the roof would help. Any advice on covering my allotment appreciated. If I buy new I am going to spray a pattern on it so if it reappears elsewhere I can be sure its mine

[Nikkithefoot]

I managed to acquire a roll of heavy duty weed suppressing membrane which I use to cover parts of the plot that aren't under cultivation. It allows water through, warms the soil and most importantly stops the weeds.

[stompy]

If yours has dissapeard and suddenly the next door plot has some then you can probably assume it will be yours!

Just ask if it is from your plot! they may think it's for general use and have taken it.
My dad bought 2 lots of manure in November and a guy took over a plot a few down from my dads, my dad whent on and caught the guy helping himself to his manure when confronted the guy genuinely thought it was for general use by everyone.
Not everyone knows allotment etiquette.

Just ask and if it is yours, kindly ask for it to be returned, if they say it's not yours and you know it is then lesson learned  

I wouldn't use visquine, it's as you say expensive and won't let your soil breath.
If you was going down the plastic sheet road then buy black builders plastic, it's much cheaper.

[casper]

Thanks for those comments. The weed supressing membrane sounds good. Where can I purchase that? I would be worried to approach the neighbour because it seems to be membrane that is on a number of plots, maybe it has been council issue in the past or something. I would hate to make an enemy and a mistake, but as the neighbours was in a bad way at the end of last year and now covered with what looks like mine I am suspicious. I will take it as a lesson. It is a harsh lesson because weeds have grown and all the digging has to start again I want to buy the membrane this week, Would I get cheaper online for the weed membrane? Ta

[compostqueen]

Heavy duty woven sheet mulch is the business and can be bought from most garden centres or online from folks such as Allplas or SmithnJones. I've seen it on the roll in our local GC. It comes in various widths starting at 1 m wide. I generally get 2 m wide. It will last for years if you look after it, and please keep it well away from any bonfire or it will be holed in an instant 

[Trillium]

Casper, it wouldn't hurt if you managed to have a chat with your neighbour and hint that someone had stolen your netting/membrane covers, and that you plan to put new stuff down and you hope the thief doesn't try to do it again. Never give away that you suspect it's him, just that he's done something against lotty etiquette. But do still mark yours, both sides, which will be obvious to everyone where it came from if it does go walkabout.

[casper]

I have decided to get o roll of the heavy duty weed supressant. Ir is sold in b&q so can get some tomorrow. Its so convienient to get it there and not so badly priced ( an investment to save my back). Thanks for the comments I agree defo get my point across on Lotto etiquette in a nice way   

[TheSpartacat]

It's been pretty windy this winter... maybe it blew off your plot onto his and he thinks it came with the plot?
I use visqueen on mine, it was the cheapest i could find after much searching online so i bought a large roll... if i had the money i would have opted for a permeable weed suppressant membrane as they are better all round.

[casper]

Hi, I went to B&Q and checked out the weed membranes. I did not get a roll. It just so lightweight and thin. I really doubted if it would do the job. So I am thinking of Visquine again. If I uncover the land in good time and add fertiliser I hope it would be ok. The plot I have is very large and I do need to cover a bit up till bnext year. So it does need to be strong. 

[sunshineband]

Have  a look on ebay--- there are someexcellent products at decent prices. We bought som landscape weed suppresnt fabric on a roll, 2m wide, which was really helpful in our firt year at the plot in keeping a section we couldn't deal with covered.

I'd dug it over first and then layed this one, weighted down with planks and bricks.... when we took it of it just needed a bit of a fork and it was ready to go 

[heloise]

'Heavy duty' means different things to different sellers I'm afraid! the sort of papery stuff, that isn't an obvious weave will last nano-seconds and then disintegrate so you find tiny bits all over and in your soil. Steer well clear (says the voice of experience). it pays to go to a place that deals exclusively with garden supplies rather than a general diy shop.
The best stuff I've found that lasts well is heavy duty (100 g/m2) woven material which I got as a present from my dad from LBS horticultural. I presume this is the type of stuff other peoeple were referring to. Whilst its not cheap it will last for years:

http://www.lbsgardenwarehouse.co.uk/src/BGWebsite/100g-mandsup2-Phormisol-Ground-Cover-PRDR-GCP/

[casper]

I did like the idea of weed membrane though so will have a look online tonight

[bigben]

I bought my stuff from Amazon - the allplas stuff that is either 1 or 2 metres wide and 25-50 long. It works out about 50p a square metre. It is pretty strong and woven, I have cut holes in it to use it for growing onion thru. I have used waterproof membrane but only for a very limited period as it does not allow water through which is not good for the soil long term. The advantage it does have is that it lets no light through and gets hot in the sun so is good for cooking and killing weeds that germinate under it.

[Donnay]

I've only had my allotment since last October. Brought some weed membrane off eBay, covered my raised beds which I built over winter and all I need to do is rake over and pick a few weeds out. The stuff is great and I will always use it. It's far cheaper online than in local Garden centres etc.

[simonwatson]

I've used this stuff in the past:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/2M-x-20M-Heavy-Duty-Weed-Control-Ground-Cover-Membrane-/120747019318?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Weed_Pest_Control_CV&hash=item1c1d154c36#ht_2962wt_1163

I'm not in any way connected with the seller or recommending you buy through them. The stuff is woven, so water and air pass through, but heavy enough that you don't need mulch over the top. Just peg it and forget it.