[HLS]

Last Autumn I recruited some friends to help me dig up the weediest part of my new plot.  The grassiest parts were dug up as turves (more or less), stacked upside-down in a heap and covered, along with the rest of the dug-over patch, with weedproof matting.  This, I thought, would keep it relatively weed-free until I could start working the ground, and would also start the turves rotting down.

Yesterday I finally uncovered the last bit of plot, including the turf hump, and got rather a shock: I'd managed to grow a wonderfully luxuriant crop of couch grass.  If I'd been actively trying to grow it I couldn't possibly have done better.  Grrr!

I cut the leaves off and dug over the ground again (or rather, my OH did most of the digging), taking out as much of the couch grass roots as I could, and I've covered it back up.  I'm hoping that this will knock it back enough to allow me to plant squashes through the weedproof matting later in the year without all the holes immediately growing two-foot-high grass, but it was really rather discouraging.  How could it have grown that vigorously after almost seven months of black matting?  And will I ever manage to grow anything on that bit of ground that doesn't start with 'couch'?

[lucywil]

there is only one solution for couch grass - KEEP AT IT, it never goes away completely but you cant let it win

[Cheshire Phill]

Ah, couch grass, it never dies!!!

Have been digging over with a fork ever since I got my plot on Christmas Eve, and have painstakingly removed as much as I could see and find by hand.

Now, in between lots of my crops, are little grass blades, laughing at me cos they know I can't dig down and disturb everything else.

I'm finding pieces of root 1" long will get 2 shoots on which rocket towards the light...you can't stop it, just try to keep up with it!!! Worst I find amongst established roots like blackcurrants, raspberries etc.

Keep at it!!

Cheshire Phill 

[Lardman]

I filled another drop sack with it over the weekend. Theres no turf at all here its all couch grass.

Im a big fan of clearing the area with a fork rather than just covering it up.  The area I cleared last year has the odd bit sprout where I missed a root but its easy to spot and remove from freshly dug soil.  

What you do with it after you remove it is a different matter - the piles I made last year definitely had live material in but also a goodly amount had made nice compost. Im sticking it all in drop sacks this year, hopefully there will be less and less each year.

[diggerjoe]

keep it covered - I had three huge mounds the first one was made when I cleared the plot stacked the turves 18 months later I've uncovered it and it great stuff a few roots round the edge but as it crumbles they are easy to get out - the other two mounds were just spadefulls of grass and soil I'd just had enough of trying to dig - I put manure on them and covered them and planted pumkins - this weekend uncovered both these and the soil is great - bit of mares tail and some grass but overall good enough to plant the last of my spuds - give it another season and grow pumpkins etc - its worth the wait and less backache.

[Lee G]

I know what you mean, I'm only in my 2nd year on the plot and have been better organised this time, so much so that had been targeting patches of couch that I missed last year.  That was a month or 2 ago, yet when I was there yesterday (applying my nematodes for the bloomin' slugs   ), I noticed the tell tale green shoots poking through yet again.  And this was an area I thought I had systematically cleared by hand, of every tiny peice of root.

Time to get back down on my hands and knees I think  

[Libby]

My 70 ft x 45 ft was completely covered in couch grass when I took over the plot on 29 November.  I have dug 6 30ft beds so far and have dug the turf over, a spade deep, left it to dry out for a week or so and then dug each area with a fork, pulling out all of the couch grass as I went.  I have had to dig each bed 3 times but now am at the point that they are all flat and I can see where the odd piece of grass comes up and tackle it straight away.  The grass on the paths is threatening to spread so I don't think it will ever really go away but if you can get to the point of little and often, you really can keep on top of it.  Lots of digging and back pain will eventually pay off.    I have found that if it is covered, it just creeps sideways through the soil and comes out of the other side of the black plastic.  Rotten stuff!!   I have heard that planting turnips on a bed of couch grass will kill it off.  Seems a bit too good to be true but perhaps it works?

[Cheshire Phill]

Hmmm, I have turnips in and showing, will have to monitor if the couch in that raised bed fairs worse than nothers then...

Phill

[Libby]

I would be grateful to know whether the turnip theory works in your beds.  Would probably end up with several thousand turnips but if it means seeing the back of the couch grass - worth a try!

[HLS]

Glad to see I'm not alone in having to deal with it!  Honestly, you'd think the mares tail would be enough - can't I just have one at a time? :-)

I'm not giving up, so I hope it'll get easier in the future.  It was a bit of a nasty shock when I uncovered it all, though!

[Ropster]

Just one question, are you sure the black membrane you used is completly light proof, because some of the cheeper sorts isnt and that will be enough to let the grass grow.

if it were me I would uncover it and water it with roundup, leave it till it starts to go yellow and then cover again to plant squashes through

[HLS]

It didn't look like it'd let much light in when I bought it, but having seen green grass (a bit paler than normal but still green) growing underneath it I'm now more sceptical.  It's now doubled over, which I'm hoping will help.

[Motivator]

 Just keep at it , One thing that works well is digging a six inch trench around the
 bed . Keeps it from coming back in .