[upthetump]

I've just come back from my plot and it is a right old mess. Chickweed, groundsel, couch grass, bind weed, ground elder, creeping buttercup and I'm sure too many others to list oh and carrots gone due to rot/root fly. I've cleared the whole site of weed at least 10 times but, due to the weather I've only been there to water my greenhouse 3 times in last 2 weeks and the weeds have gone nuts. I have seen systems with raised beds bordered with polythene over paths. Is this a more manageable system? I very much appreciate your advice. Thanks

[joannazoo]

I tried a raised bed on a layer of newspaper. This has definatly kept down the weeds, though they grow well round the edges, so I have to keep pulling them up, but over all I have been quite pleased.

[jackiestagg]

I think raised beds are much better. The idea is, you never dig, so every time you mulch with compost you cover the weed seeds and so there are less weeds. My raised beds in the garden, bordered with old floorboards, most definitely have about 10% of the weeds my neighbours ordinary veg garden has. Beware slugs though as they love to hide in the cracks between the soil and the bed edges. On my new allotment, we have made raised beds by the 'drop kerb' system so have used no materials for edging and this is better still, although not so neat, as it foils slugs.

[puravida]

what's the drop-kerb system?
sounds interesting??

[Ice]

Raised beds are the way to go for me.  I built one in spring and it has produced an abundance of crops and is easy to maintain.  I think the trick is to use dwarf varieties for things such as beans etc.  What you lose in height is made up for in crops being more prolific.

[upthetump]

Morning, thanks for your replies. I think that this is the way to go. When I took over the site it was heavily infested with weeds and it seems like trying to hold back the tide in getting them out. I'm constantly weeding to the detriment of everything else that needs doing. Along with one of the other guys I'm intrigued by the drop kerb method, any more info? Anyway I'm off to sunny Spain on Sunday for a well earned break, God help what state my plot will be in when I get back. Happy gardening

[paintedlady]

Last year I felt overfaced by a whole plot and as you pointed out, the weeds become overwhelming.  I spent much of the winter months setting up raised beds and I can honestly say it is a much better system and so much more manageable.  Planning crop rotation is so much easier too.  The "no dig" policy is only partially successful because despite digging deep to clear the bindweed, it still keeps coming up, so I will have to have another go this autumn/winter!

One thing I thought worked brilliantly - during the spring months when my lawn need mowing, I dug in the grass clippings into a bed, mixed with rotted manure, then covered the single beds with thick black plastic (even using the empty compost bags were useful)  It warmed up the soil (being black), the worms and bacteria got to work and broke down the grass, weed seeds germinated under the plastic then withered and after a month, the bed was ready for planting.  And guess what, there were even fewer weeds to have to pull up later on!

The one problem is getting hold of wood.  Half my plot consists of wood I scavenged, but in the end I had to buy some and that got a bit expensive.  I'm hoping the investment will pay off in the long run.

As for using polythene on the footpaths, please be careful - when wet, it can be very slippy and accidents happen when you are physically tired.  Try laying bark or wood chippings over (stone chippings are better but expensive), or use a material membrane instead.

PS  forgot to mention that I have now got loads of ants nests that have taken up residence where the wood supports are!

[upthetump]

Hi Paintedlady. Thanks for sharing that, I'm even more convinced now that this is the way to go. I know I can source pressure treated timber quite reasonably and if I build one bed every few weeks I can spread the cost. I'm going to be clearing areas soon as the weather has wrecked my calabrese and carrots so I may as well make a start. I have room for about 8 8'x4' beds so best get started. Thanks for the info, I don't feel so depressed now  

[Sven The Swede]

My plans are in action next season it will be raised beds all the way. All the flooding this years made my mind up. Just the top of my allotment will not be raised covered in carpet and cardboard. Area to be cleared and used for me spud next year.

Cheers All have a good weekend. Gonna be a good sunny day tomorrow so down the allotment we go.

[Sven The Swede]

The one problem is getting hold of wood.  Half my plot consists of wood I scavenged, but in the end I had to buy some and that got a bit expensive.  I'm hoping the investment will pay off in the long run.

Join this www.freecycle.org and post on there to get pallets ect or phone up some building merchants the may have some spare ones going for free. If you dont ask you dont get  

[upthetump]

excellent idea will give it a go

[jackiestagg]

Drop kerb system - easy to draw but explain? here goes... you mark out the shape of your bed. you drive your spade down about 8 inches vertically all round the border and chuck it all to the middle so that you have on one side of the trench ( the outside) a vertical drop and the other side of the trench (the inside) on a 45% slope up to the top of the bed which you make level. The trench only has to be a foot wide at the top and a few inches at the bottom. Slugs are defeated by the drop and then the long climb up loose soil. It seems to work, and also there is nowhere for them to hide. Of course not so easy to work as bordered raised beds as you have to stand in the trench to reach over and its harder to get any height to the bed, but anything that defeats slugs is OK by me even if it means more work. Bob Flowerdews idea.

[upthetump]

Thanks  4 that Jackie, my main problem though is weeds, how does this fare with that problem? thanks

[jackiestagg]

well other than that you treat it like any other raised bed, you mulch on top and never dig, so annual weeds are buried. Perennial weeds are not killed in any system, but are easier to find and hoe off in a raised bed. Also with this system you can water by flooding the tranches so watering sideways and the tops of the beds stay dry, discouraging slugs and seed germination. In theory. Of course in this weather this doesn't apply

[upthetump]

LOL thanks for that. I think in this weather the rule book has gone out of the window. It's raining so heavily at the moment that it seems as if someones got a hosepipe on the window.