Holding down yer plastic / weed control fabric

[Mrs Dobby]

Had to laught today at the simplicity of an idea another plotholder gave me!

I was about to break up some pavers to use to hold down the weed control fabric on one of our largest beds when she walked up and said, 'Dont bother breaking them up, just get some bin bags (or plastic bags), fill with 2 or 3 shovel fulls of soil, tie up and easy instant weights for your chosen ground covering!'

Soooo simple, I could have kicked myself! D'oh!

Anyone else any really good ideas that are just soo obvious that you wouldnt think of mentioning them? They may just be the very thing some of us newbies are looking for!

[Snadger]

Had to laught today at the simplicity of an idea another plotholder gave me!

I was about to break up some pavers to use to hold down the weed control fabric on one of our largest beds when she walked up and said, 'Dont bother breaking them up, just get some bin bags (or plastic bags), fill with 2 or 3 shovel fulls of soil, tie up and easy instant weights for your chosen ground covering!'

Soooo simple, I could have kicked myself! D'oh!

Anyone else any really good ideas that are just soo obvious that you wouldnt think of mentioning them? They may just be the very thing some of us newbies are looking for!

You can get special pegs but I usually just bury the edge in the soil!

[Earthbabe]

If I'm just using it to suppress weeds, random pallets work well.

[Snadger]

If I'm just using it to suppress weeds, random pallets work well.

Nowt like keeping it tidy EB!Lol

[Mrs Dobby]

You can get special pegs but I usually just bury the edge in the soil!

I'd heard of the pegs, and had thought of burying the edges Snadger, but as they are only staying there for the winter I thought it better not to bury them!

[Alice]

The pegs are very expensive for what they are. My OH just bought some fence wire, cut it into appropriate lengths, bent it into a horse shoe and Voila - pegs.

[Earthbabe]

The plastic pegs are not much cop. We've found the large metal staples work really well. Same principle as your horse shoe metal pegs really.

[Nicos]

I find that the pegs rip the fleece in high winds- we just use bricks and pieces of wood. (they are good for slugs and toads to hide under too!)

[nick the grief]

If you want to us groundcover long term some tubs from the pound shop filled with bedding plants is a usefull & colourful way of keeping it down.

[Earthbabe]

Does that count as cultivation then Nick?

[FoxHillGardener]

I cut up a load of wire coathangers and bent them into u-shapes.

[martini]

I did the same FHG - bought some thick galvanised wire and bent them (witht he help of pliers) into hairpin type shapes.

[denise]

I use plastic bottles filled with water - which are then a handy water source or can be recyled into plant collars or bell cloches.

[Mrs Dobby]

I thought of doing that denise, but was worried that theyd burst when frozen and then blow away after the water had thawed and drained, with my weed control fabvric blowing away too! lol!

[JennieAtkinson]

Some great ideas here! I bought the pegs and wished I hadn't as I found them horrendously difficult to get into the fabric and then if you want to pull it up at the end of the season you can't get the b****y things out again! Excuse my language but I have found this exercise a little fraught this year!

Like the idea of the metal coathangers and at least your bags Mrs D would be very helpful when trying to get the membrane down in the first place, another exercise which resulted in some bad language! Difficult when trying to do it on your own given our windy conditions.