Best deal on black plastic (or similar)?

[Seahorse]

I'm mulling over covering part of my lottie in non light permeable material for now and doing a slow but thorough dig, rather than rotavate. I haven't found any especially cheap options though. I've posted on Freecycle but had no joy yet. I don't drive so whatever I get needs to be carryable (or at least balance on a pushchair-able!).

Any thoughts?

[rustylady]

Check out your local skips - old carpet works well, so does thick cardboard (and they're usually free)

[Seahorse]

It's the getting stuff that size there though that's the problem I don't think I can push a pushchair and carry a roll of soggy Axminster at the same time! I'm sort of hoping I can find something that folds up quite small but doesn't cost too much!

[Hazel at the Hill]

I think that cardboard is your best bet - it's not particulary heavy, and I'm guessing that you can flatten half a dozen big tv boxes from your local puter/tv shop and balance on the pushchair? You won't want to be doing it on a windy day, mind, or go through any revolving doors, but it's got to be a bit easier than carpet.

If you've got access to FYM too, so much the better as you can weigh down the card with the muck, the worms all dig it in, and I bet you get the bestest potatoes EVER!

Mind you, our allotment shed is selling 4m wide black weed surpressant (?sp) for £1.10 per metre, so maybe for convenience that's perhaps a not too expensive and better option for you.

[PAULW]

Straw either used or new, I mulched most of my spuds last year with straw and not a weed appeared even after digging the spuds, so this year I have mulched my over wintering onions, the plan is I dont have to weed so little chance of clipping the onions with the hoe or break the leaves as you try to get to the weeds, and after you have finished with it you can dig it in as humus.

[Seahorse]

Cardboard might be an option - especially as it's just occurred to me that with only a minor detour, I can go past a Homebase and a Currys on the way to the lottie. I would think both are likely to have spare boxes if I ask nicely. I think I'd have to make several trips but... free is free! (Although I do now have a mental image of a sudden high wind springing up and myself, small son and pushchair having to chase sundry cardboard items for miles in every direction! ).

There must a be a source of FYM not far away, judging by the piles of it I walk past on the way up to my plot! I shall try and find someone on site who can point me in the right direction for getting some.

Our lottie shop is closed till spring but I might ask the chap who runs it whether they'll have any weed suppressant (or whether he could let me have any sneakily in advance!). If it was onsite already, that would certainly be a minor headache dealt with very easily.

[Seahorse]

Paul - silly question I'm sure but how do you stop straw from blowing all over the place?

[pigletwillie]

Our allotment shop sells proper membrane (3.5 metre wide) at £1 a metre.

[Protea]

Plastics by post Plastics By Post sell rolls of the stuff and are the cheapest i've found for all types of ground coverings. However i'm not sure how you would get it to your plot - do you have a family member/friend who could drive it up there for you? or once it arrives, cut the roll into manageable lengths that can be folded up and carried up there - its quite light material so you could carry a fair few metres folded at a time.

[Snadger]

Paul - silly question I'm sure but how do you stop straw from blowing all over the place?

I asked the late, great, Supersprout the same question and the answer is " It just doesn't"

Have a look at this thread and be inspired:-

http://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gra...ment_5573.html

[PAULW]

I spent hours knitting the stuff together, No as snadger said it doesn't blow about we have had some pretty strong wind down here and it hasn't moved especially after it has has a bit of rain on it.

[Seahorse]

That is great info from Supersprout Snadger.

Lots of ideas for me to work with here.

Thanks everyone!

[Tracey]

If you're growing organic, surppressing weeds with carpets is not so good as it's often impreganted with insecticides to kill moths and other insects.
Kind regards
Tracey

[Seahorse]

Is there an obvious reason why those big blue tarpaulins you can get from builder's yards wouldn't work? Have found some of them cheap(ish) but as I can't find any reference anywhere to anyone using them on their plot, I'm thinking there must be a catch!?

[Flummery]

I got a load of straw packing around my step-over apple trees this autumn - it's now on my veg plot and no, it hasn't blown around. I think once it's had a bit of rain it sort of coagulates.