[Geminem]

Pleeeeessaase help. We dug over and de weeded our new plot 3 Weeks ago. In the last week the ground has erupted with thousands of tiny things with two tiny leaves, looks like tons of seeds sprinkled everywhere has started growing. How has this happened? And how can we kill them while having vegatsble seeds planted underneath? Thank you

[sunshineband]

There are thousands of weeds seeds in the soil of most new allotments so don't worry this is normal.

Couple of ways of approaching it - hoe them off, gather them up and add them to the compost, and cover any ground you are not about to sow. More seeds will germinate under the cardboard, black plastic or weed suppressant membrane you use, but they will be easily pulled out when you want to use that ground later.

For the areas you are going to sow into, make sure you sow in straight lines, well marked. Anything that comes up outside of your row will be a weed seedling and you can pull it out. Once your veg seeds have germinated, you will be able to see if there is anything 'different' in the row that can also be pulled out gently.

It takes time, but is worth it

[Beetroot queen]

Weeds wait for no man or woman, it's a constant fight, even four years on I think my plot is clear and two days later I am convinced I need to get an eye test when the same weeds are back. 

I tend to do a lot of hand weeding, personal choice really but it's rather satisfying 

[simonwatson]

There's a saying about one year of seed gives you seven years of weed, but don't worry, it's not quite the hopeless cause that sounds like. Most new plot holders experience this first hand as almost always the person who had their plot before them gave it up due to not being able to take care of it any more.

The new seedling weeds are easily killed with a sharp hoe. You've done the hard work in clearing the bigger weeds off. A hoe once or twice a week will get rid of the rest. After a few weeks you'll notice a serious drop off in the numbers germinating.

[grendel]

yesterday I went to the plot and got a whole bucket of weeds from the beds I weeded last week, so its a never ending battle unfortunately (mind you I did get the 5 or 6 buckets of weeds from each of those beds when I did the initial weed the other week, keep at the weeds and it does get easier.
Grendel

[pdblake]

I only took my plot on last year. I'm hand weeding every bed on a weekly basis at the moment, though the weeds do seem to be slowing down the more I do it.

Most of them are annuals and I suspect the seed has been hanging around for years just waiting for some mug to make the conditions just right

Oddly enough I find hand weeding to be quite therapeutic and it's very satisfying to see a clean bed with just my veg in it when I finally look up.

[TheWhiteRabbit]

There was an interesting snippet in a Charles Dowding book where he says that weeds emerge to 'reclothe' the soil as a defense mechanism, so the less you disturb the soil the less weeds you'll have (in theory). That is one of his arguments for no dig growing.

[Geminem]

Thank you so much for all your advice, we shall be getting on top of them weeds this weekend and getting a hoe. thanks

[Jon Gale]

Thank you so much for all your advice, we shall be getting on top of them weeds this weekend and getting a hoe. thanks

Spend a couple of pounds on a sharpening stone as well - need to keep your how sharp to make the work easier.

[Potty Plotty Lotty]

There was an interesting snippet in a Charles Dowding book where he says that weeds emerge to 'reclothe' the soil as a defense mechanism, so the less you disturb the soil the less weeds you'll have (in theory). That is one of his arguments for no dig growing.

That's certainly my experience though in my case I think it's because I sow most of my stuff in modules and plant them out with minimal soil disturbance so it doesn't generate an environment seeds like to germinate in.

Areas I rotavate and sow directly are a different matter. 

[J_B]

u need to focus on little and often andd it never goes away but just gets manageable over time

[Beetroot queen]

u need to focus on little and often andd it never goes away but just gets manageable over time

We work on a bucket a day lol. Some days i miss a day so then its two buckets thats over two plots

[J_B]

worst is if u miss a week or more then its a nightmare to get back on track

[fatcat1955]

Every time you dig you bring thousand's of seed's to the surface. Once they are subjected to the sunlight they germinate, hence you keep weeding. One theory is to dig at night and then cover the disturbed ground with a mulch. Another theory is to never dig but keep adding a layer of mulch over the surface letting the worm's do the digging for you. I have tried neither so keep my hoe sharp.

[Beetroot queen]

worst is if u miss a week or more then its a nightmare to get back on track

I wanted to cry last time we came back from a week in cornwall, we had de- weeded totally before going. Came back to jurassic park