[HugglescoteGrower]

I am really pleased with the results of covering most of my plot towards the end of last year. Where I have started to work the soil that has been covered there is very little evidence of couch roots left, apart from one or two clumps every now and again which I am removing as I find them. The large sods of top growth that had been turned in by the plough are nicely rotting down.

However, the area around my plot is still extremely weedy and of course there is bound to be root remaining that I have missed, plus a great deal of seed still in the soil.

So my plan for this year is to grow, wherever possible, through weed membrane. A 50m by 2m roll of commercial grade weed cover comes it at about £50 delivered and this will give me enough to cover the greenhouse floor, plus then twelve times twelve foot lengths, most of which will be cut in half to make twelve foot by 3 foot covers.

That will be enough for all my brassicas, including the late / winter crops, my runner beans, broad beans, french beans, jelly beans and has beens, plus my sweet corn, my sweet peas and dahlias for cutting, and my raspberry canes, blackberry canes, my rhubarb and my strawberries.

Effectively the only things which will not ne under cover are my spuds, onions, carrots, parsnips, beets and courgettes, plus my fruit trees and any fruit bushes I select, though the latter will probably be put back till next year.

Then hopefully, the weed membrane will be carefully taken up at the end of the year, labelled with what it was "cut" for, and reused for another year or two.

Any comments, does this sould workable or am I barking mad?

[noshed]

It could work but a lot of faffing about - also you could have a snail problem. They love snuggling under the edges of the membrane ready to slip out at night for a bit of munching.
I did this with strawberries one year and I wasn't that impressed - snails, and it looked horrible. And the strawberries kept getting caught under the corners of the slits I cut.
Could you not glyphosate the weedy bits? It does give you a good start and simply cultivating the beds when there are crops in will deal with the annual weeds, if you have a good sharp hoe.

[HugglescoteGrower]

snails - and slugs are one thing I have thought about. I'm expecting to have to deal with the slugs and whilst i would normally be wary about using pellets I have no quarms about putting them under weed cover.

I did start glyphosating last year, but found the results were somewhat dissapointing. On the paths which have not been covered I have some prize nettles and the start of some bionic docks, which will be glypho'd again shortly. Other than that there is very little top growth evident to spray.

And yes, the hoe has been sharpened to razor blade standards and is ready and waiting.

[beanqueen]

I'd be interested to see how this works for you

I have marestail and lots of it so last year experimented with putting newspaper between rows of onions, cardboard between the brassicas and weed fabric round tomatoes

Worked really well so this year taking it a stage further..loads and loads of paper card and I managed to get a huge piece of astro turf backing mat. Also growing squashes etc thru plastic. The only bits showing are will be the small areas round a few plants and the spud patch

[blackbob]

I am really pleased with the results of covering most of my plot towards the end of last year. Where I have started to work the soil that has been covered there is very little evidence of couch roots left, apart from one or two clumps every now and again which I am removing as I find them. The large * of top growth that had been turned in by the plough are nicely rotting down.

However, the area around my plot is still extremely weedy and of course there is bound to be root remaining that I have missed, plus a great deal of seed still in the soil.

So my plan for this year is to grow, wherever possible, through weed membrane. A 50m by 2m roll of commercial grade weed cover comes it at about £50 delivered and this will give me enough to cover the greenhouse floor, plus then twelve times twelve foot lengths, most of which will be cut in half to make twelve foot by 3 foot covers.

That will be enough for all my brassicas, including the late / winter crops, my runner beans, broad beans, french beans, jelly beans and has beens, plus my sweet corn, my sweet peas and dahlias for cutting, and my raspberry canes, blackberry canes, my rhubarb and my strawberries.

Effectively the only things which will not ne under cover are my spuds, onions, carrots, parsnips, beets and courgettes, plus my fruit trees and any fruit bushes I select, though the latter will probably be put back till next year.

Then hopefully, the weed membrane will be carefully taken up at the end of the year, labelled with what it was "cut" for, and reused for another year or two.

Any comments, does this sould workable or am I barking mad?

spray it.