Allotment ground cover

oojeyboojey

Hi guys! I've been hectic the last few months, finishing up my PhD, and I let my allotment slide. Got an email today asking if I'm giving it up - eek! It's really overgrown and I need to sort it quick. I have some carpet remnants already up there, but need a lot more material fast.

Does anyone know where the best place to buy reliable, cheap, heavy duty ground cover fabrics is? Ideally I'd like it to allow water through, but not sunlight.

oliveoyl

I'd use cardboard.

forgotmyname

Do you need fabric or plastic to supress the weeds? Carpet is not allowed on my allotments.

Toolstation or Screwfix sell rolls of black plastic membrane 12metres x 4 metres for £23, Just checked
the price it is dearer at screwfix.

bullybear

I would go to either allotment shop or garden centre 50p or 60p per metre weed sup resent fabric. The council will prob not allow you to cover it only our allotment u have to cultivate 3/4 of it or they boot u.

Sorry to be negative but the waiting lists are long

Nile

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Yorkie1

Be careful about carpet. Even if you are allowed it (we're not), it is a nightmare to dispose of, can leach chemicals into the soil, couch grass will grow through it making it impossible to life (I have a friend with a slipped disc as a result of this...), and/or it disintegrates into lots of bits.

Cardboard is a cheap and cheerful cover, or weed suppressant fabric as suggested. Avoid plastic as it doesn't let water through, and leaves the soil stale underneath it.

Before you do any of that, get the plot strimmed. That alone makes it look as though you mean business and makes it far easier to cover up.

Once you've got the covering on, make sure you get on with clearing the plot. Remove a bit of covering at a time, weed / dig, then replace until spring. In my experience the months up to Christmas are far better for clearing a plot than those in the New Year (too wet and cold), and it's very difficult to have enough time to clear the plot once Spring is upon you.

Sambucus_Nigra

Cardboard all the way.

Get a pack of leek or brassica seedlings and plant them through the cardboard really far apart. Use clods of earth to weigh the card down. That's 1/4 of the plot in one go.

Then cover the rest, dig out the roots and re-cover with cardboard as you go. come the spring, the cardboard will have kept the weed seeds down, plant through it next season, mulch with any home made compost and your life should be alot easier from there on in.

angelavdavis

Cardboard, or if you are pushed, I would use newspaper but soak well with water and cover with grass clippings to weigh it down and stop it blowing away.

Personally, I would cut down the weeds first and lay the cardboard or newspaper on top to rot off over winter.

balloo_2

Just a thought so don't bite my head off. Could you turn your allotment over roughly and let Jack Frost do its work and kill the roots.