[Andrew n]

I have read lots of info on spreading manure over the plot for winter but cannot get hold of any. What are my best options to avoid having a forest to weed by spring? I have black plastic but have read this attracts slugs. I have tried weed mesh on a patch but this doesn't seem to be working. Should I just keep weeding!

[allotmentann]

Very few weeds will do much growing between now and spring, it won't hurt to leave cleared land exposed to the elements. There may be one or two green manures you could still get away with sowing but it is probably pushing it.
I certainly left cleared land uncovered last year. I also covered some beds with huge, thick layers of leaves, covered with pegged down netting to stop them blowing away and dug several bean trenches to add nourishment and get rid of waste. I really don't think there is need to cover with fabric until weeds are actively growing again, and hopefully by then you will have things to sow and plant to fill the space.   

[Totty]

 Strim it all off tight to the ground, leaving the soil almost bare. Cover with black plastic. Voila.
I wouldn't worry about slugs being attracted to plastic, there won't be anything for them to eat, and when you do lift it you can easily dispatch of the whole lot.

Totty

[Salmo]

An application of manure will not cure weeds. Most manure has plenty of weed seeds in it.

Presumably you will be digging your beds either some time soon or, on light soils, in the Spring. Dig them over with a spade and turn all the weed growth under. Strimming before you dig will make this easier but if you dig properly with a sharp spade there is no need.

One alternative is to apply Roundup. It will work most of the Winter even at quite low temperatures. This time of year it is sometimes difficult to find a day with 6 hours of dry after you have sprayed. That is an essential for sucess with that chemical.

[Andrew n]

Maybe I should have elaborated that I have a problem with grass! When I took on the plot last November I de-turfed the whole plot (apart from a couple of existing beds) but still spend a lot of time digging out grass. Will covering in plastic help this or should I just keeping taking the grass out?

[allotmentann]

Is it couch grass or ordinary grass? I dug up a whole grass patch in the spring, digging out as many roots as possible and have only had odd bits coming back. Couch grass is far more invasive and returns from every little piece of root left in the soil.
Covering over the grass now will certainly help to knock it back and weaken it making it easier to remove anything that is left in the spring.
Because you talked of spreading manure over, I assumed that you had cleared it.
If it was my plot and I had the time, I would probably clear as much as I could before covering it, but if you do not have time covering would kill off most of the ordinary stuff and weaken any couch.     

[Andrew n]

It is couch. I have dug it over again since the summer but it still comes up all over the place. Sure it must be my thoroughness. Will have another good go and then cover I think. Thanks for the help.

[Totty]

If it's couch, spray it. Life's too short.

Totty

[Rexmundi]

If it's couch, spray it. Life's too short.

Totty

I have the same issue with my beds. If I use 'Round-up' now, do you think the residue of the weedkiller will be gone by the spring and it will be safe to plant?

Cheers

[allotmentann]

I don't use chemicals and have successfully cleared both couch and bindweed by hand, but I think if you want to spray you need to do it when the weeds are actively growing, so you would probably have to wait until spring.
 

[Salmo]

If it's couch, spray it. Life's too short.

Totty

I have the same issue with my beds. If I use 'Round-up' now, do you think the residue of the weedkiller will be gone by the spring and it will be safe to plant?

You can plant immediately as glyposate, the active ingredient of Roundup, breaks down on contact with soil.

If you have any green leaf at all it is worth using Roundup now but only if you have a dry day.

Should there be no leaf then I would wait until Spring to spray. In the meantime you might like to dig it over to allow the frost to break down the soil. You may have to delay sowing some of the early crops to allow the couch leaves to grow, so be prepared to start some in modules. The later crops such as beans, sweetcorn and squashes leave plenty of time to allow couch to produce leaf.

After you have sprayed leave it for about 10 days before you do any cultivations. There is no need to wait for the leaves to die, the chemical will have penetrated to the roots and the plants will be clinically dead. You may get apparent regrowth. That will be roots that were dormant with no leaves at the time of spraying that have now woken up so you may have to apply a second spray.