Does anyone lay anti weed membrane, cut holes and grow through that?

[Dave1975]

Well as per title really, but wandering if anyone ever lays anti weed membrane down as a ground cover, cuts holes in and plans the seedlings through holes as a way to make things a little less maintenance?. Sure, I know it won't work with everything etc. But seems to me many things it should work and make weeding far less problematic. Even my allotment secretary says some people in fact do just that, yet I don't seem to read to much about people doing so unless I'm missing something that doesn't make it viable?.

[Guest]

I can only name one grape but am sure there are more. You want to make sure you get proper decent fabric like mypex cheapy imposters can break down, cause mess and issues. You can re-use it season after season so is great if you have beds that are the same size so it works with your crop rotation. I use cardboard and plant through that and at the end of the season it can be dug in or bigger bits put on the compost heap.

[Nicos]

I've only ever done that with membrane on my strawberry patch.
Worked well there!

[happyhumph]

I'm doing it with squash plants on the bank between us and the field next door this year.

[Thelma Sanders]

I use it for my brassicas, cos under the netting they're a pain to get to for weeding - and under my squash/pumpkins.

[Baldy]

I'm growing onion sets through it for the firsttime this year. Also grow strawberries through it and squash.
I used a small portable bunsen burner type thing to burn holes through - cutting it tends to lead to it unraveling as time goes by.
I'm slowly moving towards no-dig gardening so I imagine I'll be using this on more and more crops. Its likely that most of my spuds will be planted using a bulb planter and then weed membrane on top with '+' shaped slits to allow the hallums through - arguably the spuds should suppress most weeds themselves.
I work away a lot so am thinking this method might help me stay on top of the weeds... live in hope

[Dave1975]

Thanks for the replies & yes, certainly going for a better quality than the kind of fabric based crap I fell foul to for my pathways last year that just didn't work. I'm guessing any decent plastic based that's water permeable should do?. And as it would be going on grow beds hopefully can as said reused with crop rotation next year to if decent quality. Added bonus, cut holes aside can double up as weed control over the winter or once crop has been harvested.

So, should certainly be OK for my onions, beetroot, peas, carrots, well most smaller or above ground growing crops I guess?

[Bigmallly]

I've seen spuds grown under black polythene to good effect.

[Muddy_Boots]

Tried to use it and gave up as I found it a pain to plant through the holes, I'm only going to use membrane for a path between myself and the policeman neighbor next door. I know and have seen the best thing to use to cut the holes is an old soldering iron as it melts the plastic rather than cut it so it stops it from fraying. Other than that its rake and hoe to weed my plot with and of course the good old fingers.

[Finley]

I've got two beds covered for more permanent crops. One has my raspberries planted through it and the other has fruit bushes (blue/gooseberry and red/white/blackcurrants) and globe artichokes. Nailed the fabric to the wooden edges and bricks to help combat the wind!

[treepixie]

I grow most things through weed membrane, anything that is planted out as seedlings, I did try it with potatoes last year but found we got a lot of slug damage.

I find it cuts down massively on weeding, saving me time and energy, all I do before planting is take the sheeting up, lightly dig in some chicken manure pellets and put the sheeting back again. I leave it down all winter as well.

[Baldy]

My plot had been used as the anti-benchmark for a couple of years - anyone worse than mine gets warning letters!
Bit embarrassing sometimes so no dig and weed suppressant is the way forward for me I think / hope.

[Kier]

I use it but it gives the slugs ,ants, mice a good place to live , I gave up growing strawberries because of the mice , and now grow them in a different place

[Dave1975]

I use it but it gives the slugs ,ants, mice a good place to live , I gave up growing strawberries because of the mice , and now grow them in a different place

Not something I'd considered this, but certainly something that needs some thought I guess in how it's layed, holed and pined down. Maybe not the best idea for certain crops then if there's the potential for slugs, ants & mice problems?. Maybe trial and error as each site, ground and method will be different?.

[Kier]

Not something I'd considered this, but certainly something that needs some thought I guess in how it's layed, holed and pined down. Maybe not the best idea for certain crops then if there's the potential for slugs, ants & mice problems?. Maybe trial and error as each site, ground and method will be different?.

I still use it for strawberries , but moved the bed 60ft away, the mice were waiting until the berries were
white turning red and would pick them all and stack them up for later, when and if the slugs start you must keep on top of it, I grow perpetual strawberries so now if they get one lot I have time to sort it out and I get the next lot, its good stuff though sometimes pulling the weeds out the plants come out too