Black polythene or semi membraneous

Hi

You can put anything down that completely excludes the light. If cost is a consideration, can you use cardboard? As long as it is held down well, I have found it works a treat, and will also rot in to the soil over time or can be dug in. Unfortunately, my allotment never allowed anything like that to be used, so you may need to check what you are allowed to use.

Make sure you clear the perennial weeds before you rotovate, then either black plastic or membrane will do.

Thanks compostqueen, found good price on internet and I suppose it will also supress weeds when I plant my strawberries etc when time comes

A lot of the membrane stuff is sold as 'to be used with' other mulching material on top, and isn't enough on it's own to keep the light out adequately. Some that I have bought from the likes of poundland, was so thin, I doublt that it would stop anything from growing up through it with or without anything else on top! I got some reaasonable quality stuff from wilko's a couple of years back, and even that needs to be double thickness really, to be used on it's own.
Check out your local freecycle for sources of well rotted horse manure. As long as it doesn't pong, it can go straight on the ground. (Except where you want to grow carrots or parsnips!)
Cardboard is good. Straw is probably not a good idea on opwn ground. With nothing to anchor it, it will be all over everyone else's plots after a strong breeze! The cut weeds left in situ, is better than nothing, too.

i tryed covering my old garden far a few months before digging when i lifted the weed sheet it looked as tho it had made no diference other than to slow the groth the next section i covered i cut the grass and left the clippings there corered in uncomposted waste and 2 bags of fresh manure left it for a month when i took the sheet off there was no need to even dig this was with the wilcos own £3:50 rolls