Planting through plastic

[OverWyreGrower]

Hiya

Quick question: will the following crops be ok planted through black weed-membrane-type stuff:

Courgettes
Sweetcorn
Broccoli (purple and green)
Peas
Dwarf french beans
Leeks (really not sure about this!)
Various herbs
Outdoor tomatoes and cucumbers

Cheers

OWG

[SarzWix]

Good question OWG! I'm very intersted in answers to this too - I have sweetcorn, Courgettes, cucumber/gherkin, squash, tomatoes, dwarf beans & climbing beans (borlotti) - which all need to be put in ground not fully weeded yet....

Was thinking of doing the cardboard/manure/black stuff layers which I've used for my potatoes.
Are any of these unsuitable for this treatment?

[Flummery]

The stuff you plant some distance apart should be ok - courgettes, corn etc. However, with peas you tend to scatter over a drill so the plants are really quite close together. You could plant them where 2 lots of plastic adjoin and not actually let them join up, if you see what I mean?

[OverWyreGrower]

We've started the peas off in toilet roll tubes, as opposed to directly sowing them, so I guess they might actually be ok?

Phew! Hopefully the fabric will suppress the nasty weeds and after I've cropped I can RoundUp the worst offenders and get ready for next year!

[Paulottie]

I dont think peas will work very well and not sure about leek blanching but i think i've tried all the others or similar before and I think it worked great.

I didn't even use round up. It was much easier to dig up the weed after a summer under the plastic- always a few left but all clear after three seasons at it moving plastic around

Here are some spuds a few weeks back. Get the Mypex or similar cheap stuff false economy. The other crop i do through it is strawberries.

[OverWyreGrower]

We've dug over about 2/3 of one of the huge beds, which I'll do spuds, carrots and leeks in; the rest will be plastic covered I think.

We'll probably have to RoundUp as there is couch grass and bindweed and docks and thistles.

We've dug as many out as possible, roots and all, but they're so invasive and persistent and I'm so desperate to get my crops in the ground!

The pic is great Paul, only hope mine grow as well as yours look to be doing!

[Paulottie]

Spuds do well through it and they are all near the surface (but not green.) Slugs can be a pest-put some killer about underneath your plastic. Runners another one I used to do.

Bit concerned that you are too late now for glyphosate on growing land (round -up expensive brand name) as you need to wait until everything resprouts spray and then let the plants take it up for 6 weeks or so.

Don't try and grow carrots in weed infested land -get an old dustbin and grow them in that for this year.

[Earthbabe]

We planted all our leeks through membrane last season and they did fine. I must admit I'm not too fussed about having huge amounts of blanched leek so that is not a problem. You will need to lift the membrane or whatever to get them out especially if they grow large like ours did

[OverWyreGrower]

Bit concerned that you are too late now for glyphosate on growing land (round -up expensive brand name) as you need to wait until everything resprouts spray and then let the plants take it up for 6 weeks or so.

I did a spray about 4 weeks ago, dug it all out and it's already grown back

We're pretty lucky in that we've got enough room to spray, dig and cover and leave for a season and still have plenty of room to plant in.

[SarzWix]

I'm planning to get as much as poss in through plastic, and then spray paths, edges, and what will be the fruit areas as these won't be planted til autumn anyway. Then when the crops come out, the beds will be uncovered and whatever sprouts will get sprayed. I have agricultural strength Round-Up from my dad, so hopefully one dose will be enough, and I can be properly organic from next year. I did intend to just dig it out all out, but 1) My back's been 'out' twice already this year & my knees are rapidly following, 2) I've dug one bed down 2 spits and the mares tail is popping up already, 3) someone 2 plots down has been digging out for 2 years now, and still has mare's tail & bindweed all over the place...

[Paulottie]

Sarah you need to break the waxy coating on mares tail before spraying. I like the grow bindweed up cane then shoveit in plastic bag-spray-laccy band method.

[SarzWix]

Hmmm, I know... lashing it with a plank of wood sposed to work, i've been told... Either that or mix the weedkiller with wallpaper paste and daub it on. That sounds bloomin messy tho!

[Stroppy scotte]

We are still battling the mares tail and whilst we are winning , we are making slow headway!! Can't see we can treat it because it appears everywhere, including around crop roots. Any ideas gratefully considered.
SS

[Paulottie]

Hmmm, I know... lashing it with a plank of wood sposed to work, i've been told... !

Makes you feel better too!