Planting spuds in my nettle patch

[Becca]

Hello,

Having accepted I'm never going to get a big enough area dug over in time to plant all my spuds I'm pondering a plan b.. I have an area which is mostly nettles (I've dug out the few brambles) and I'm thinking of covering this with as much cardboard as I can lay my hands on then planting the potatoes through this and then maybe mulching over the top with some compost/manure/extra topsoil from digging out my mysterious earthworks.. would this work? or will the nettles just grow straight through the cardboard? I've tried and failed to find a cheap source of plastic and am a bit loath to spend alot of money on some in order to chop into it..

thanks in advance,

Becca

[ClayGarden]

If i was lucky enough to have a nettle patch i reckon i'd cultivate it and use it to make that confrey feed stuff.

[Jardiniere]

nettles have such prolific roots ...they will grow through and round the potatoes you do need to get those roots out BUT if you have no other option and your seeds pots will go off if you dont put them in then ???
If you have loads of earth from elsewhere I would put the cardboard down over the nettles and cover that with earth and grow the potatoes on top of that and weed like mad as you earth up....

[Becca]

That might be an option.. I have 2 great bit humps running across the plot that are partially dug out which gives me some extra earth now and a fair amount more by the time I've finished digging them, tho maybe in that time I could at least roughly dig out the nettles.. under my fruits trees where I don't want to dig to deep I've been sort of chopping underneath the nettle roots and pulling them out which is a bit quicker than properly digging out every scrap so maybe i could compromise and do that the cardboard mulch and earth up to try and discourage regrowth.. definatly don't want nettle roots growing through my potatoes!
And claygarden, you're very welcome to as many as you want tho I see you're a bit far away.. have even considered the culinary possibilities of nettles as I suspect if I'm not careful they'll be my biggest crop by far (closely followed by blackberries, i inherited something of a briar..)

[Jardiniere]

keep us posted on progress please

[Seahorse]

I also find myself with many more seed pots than I have ground cleared for I'm thinking the 'no dig' method may be my best (only?) option:

How to grow potatoes without digging

[Becca]

that definatly looks interesting and nice and easy the ground seems to have gone all hard and dry over the last few days of sun (more free draining that I expected I think, made a mental note to get alot of compost somehow) so I wasn't relishing trying to even roughly dig out the nettle roots.. might chop em back, cover them with the card to hopefully slow em down a little and then try the no dig method will let you know how i get on..

[Becca]

I've done it.. laid down the card making sure there were good overlaps so as not to give the nettles a way through, watered it then then covered it with ALOT of earth (no idea how many barrowloads) and some peat free compost till I had a layer about 6 inch thick then planted my 2nd earlies in it.. looks all very good, especially after i put some plants around to hide the edges of the card.. now just have to wait and see if it works

[Jardiniere]

great stuff.......hope it works....