Weed control round the fruit bushes

[LizH]

We (my husband and I) took over a north west london allotment at the beginning of Juy - at the peak of the thistle and dandelion season. We have been getting rid of them ever since!
I would welcome advice on how to plan the soft fruit bed. We will build a cage before it gets too cold, but my pre-occupation now is what to do with the ground. The fruit bushes are in - gooseberries, and currants - but should I cover the ground with weed control fabric and what should I put on top of this? There are piles of woodchip going free - would this be good to keep down the weeds, as a mulch on top of the fabric? Or will it harbour pests etc? Or should I just leave the earth bare (and wait for the annual weeds to colonise in the spring?? In fact they are still looking pretty vigorous!)

[zazen999]

I'd use the free woodchip - but straight on the soil so when you do get perennials growing through you can dig them out. Weed control fabric I only use when I'm going to have paths.

[Two_Sheds]

You could grow a beneficial cover crop under the fruit: my favourite is limnanthes

[Jeanied]

One tip I discovered in a book - sow forget-me-nots round the base of your raspberries - this controls the weeds, encourages beneficial insects, looks pretty and self seeds as well.

Great minds, Two Sheds!

[zazen999]

I have chives and limanthes and strawberries around the base of my rasps...I was going to write that before but had to retrieve banana bread out of the oven!