[eli]

hi all :-)
my new allotment is absolutely covered in couch grass, not little patches or anythin, its like a wild field!
what i'd like advice/ideas on is what to do with the turfs of couch i'm cutting out :-)
i'm lifting about four inches of turf out in rectangles and piling them up at the moment.
this seems to be the easiest way to get rid of it. but i'm not sure what to do with them!
i figure i can arrange them all in a quiet corner, cover them completely with thick black plastic and leave them till next year when they'll be all dead.
are there reasons why thats a bad idea?
i've already piled some up to fix holes in my border fence, but i've realized that they might just spread the couch to next door, so i'd best move them all again! next door is already also over-run with couch, but i bet its not good allotment etiquette, is it?
i don't really know about such things.
any help will be gratefully received :-)

[Kleftiwallah]

We stacked our couch lumps into a seat and sit on it to have our tea,  The begger is still growing as well.  :happy:  Cheers,   Tony.

[eli]

it has a truly remarkable will to live :-)
i don't want to use round up or any other kind of thing, either.
sitting on it seems a fair enough use!

[paintedlady]

cover the pile with black plastic sheeting to totally exclude the light.  All plants need light to survive, but be prepared to keep it covered at least 12 months or preferably much longer as they can go into a dormant stage and the roots can survive until things improve.  Also watch out for grass growing round the edge as these may be keeping the other roots alive in the pile.

[Nikkithefoot]

I had to resort to round up in the end as I was fighting a losing battle. That's fine if you are happy to use chemical assistance, some are not. The none chemical way is to completely exclude light for at least a year and then you should be ok.

Good luck

[Kristen]

If you can get the grass in the pile to die, and then rot down, you will be left with lovely loam

[mumofstig]

I left mine in a pile last spring. Then during the warmest part of the year when it had dried nearly to dust, it was relatively easy to get the roots out. I left the pile for a while and pulled out a few bits that regrew, cos I had missed some.

if no couch grows in the spring then I can safely start using that space again.

[Zippy]

Form the turves into a low plateau, cover with flattened cardboard boxes with black plastic over the outside, then in spring cut slits and plant in some squashes, pumpkins, corgettes etc so you are not wasting the ground.

Come 2012/13 you should have some lovely loamy soil. Watch it for couch roots though or you will have to start all over again!

[ecky]

I got my plot last year with the same problem plus docks, thistles etc. Not being able to afford  Roundup to spray a full plot it came down to the spade and a hand fork.
It took me ages and ages ages. I put all roots to dry and then burnt them. It was demoralising progress at the time but well worth it. I was 99.9999% clear this year.

[PennyS]

Form the turves into a low plateau, cover with flattened cardboard boxes with black plastic over the outside, then in spring cut slits and plant in some squashes, pumpkins, corgettes etc so you are not wasting the ground.

Come 2012/13 you should have some lovely loamy soil. Watch it for couch roots though or you will have to start all over again!

I like the sound of that!  I have a composting bay full of this stuff (we aren't allowed bonfires so I just put it to one side).  I'm going to remove it all, line the bay with black plastic, put it all back in and cover it all up and leave to rot down.  I like the idea of growing squashes on top! It won't be a wasted area then.