Ground cover

[bloom]

In my last thread i was dead chuffed as all was well, I had tomatoes and an olive and my lime tree was not dead, however it doesn't seem to have stopped raining since and any days where there has been a little bit of sunshine I have been stuck at work.

So my Olive and Lime tree are still in there pots, and i really need to get them planted asap, and my tomatoes are still green but that seems to be the way of things, no blight yet so fingers crossed.

On the upside, I know have my patch almost completely dug, I (when i say i, I mean me, my mom, dad and brother) have removed all grass, a whole brick wall and lots of sand, and all i have to do is even it out and cover it for winter - ready for the spring (as i missed this spring complete - didn't get my act together at all. Next year i will be better. )

What i need and can't find is ground shetting - its a plastic, thing, that you put over your dirt to stop weeds from growing but still lets the ground get all its minerals and nutriants.

I have tried wilkos and have looked on the net but can't find it anywhere, can anyone advise where I can get it from, and i guess what its called would be go.

B

[Two_Sheds]

I don't like plastic ... it encourages slugs for one thing.
I'd rather have some living ground cover ... Limnanthes is perfect for me, I can dig it up and compost it when I want the ground for a crop. Meanwhile, it protects the soil from weather, weeds and erosion, and provides early food for bees in the spring.

[Eyren]

I prefer cardboard covered in manure or compost, as my plot is still very weedy so anything sown direct has to be very tough to survive!

If you're dead set on buying sheeting-type ground cover, try the Organic Gardening Catalogue (they're not cheap, though, on stuff like that!).

The Organic Gardening Catalogue

[zazen999]

Cardboard, with a layer of the original soil over the top to weigh it down. Plus it's free from supermarkets up and down the country.

Double the effect by planting green manure over the top, such as Two_Sheds' suggestion.

[Demeter]

Try googling Mypex?

TwoSheds - o Limnanthes expert - I have sown some recently (packet said sow Sept or spring), will they overwinter as young plants or do I need to keep them in the GH and wait until Spring before I plant them out?

[Two_Sheds]

will they overwinter as young plants or do I need to keep them in the GH and wait until Spring before I plant them out?

they should be fine in the ground; they are pretty hardy.
My self-sown ones are about an inch high, and I'm now transplanting them around my plot as ground cover

[nemo]

i use a good layer of seaweed put it on now it will cover bare soil , keep weeds down, and add nutrients and organic matter to the soil

[Demeter]

they should be fine in the ground; they are pretty hardy.
My self-sown ones are about an inch high, and I'm now transplanting them around my plot as ground cover

Thanks. The seedlings are up now, so I'll get them out of the open miniGH where they are now, and onto the patio ASAP to harden up good and proper, ready to go in the ground once it is a bit less wet. Two dryish days in a row here, and already I start thinking the ground might be dry enough to work by the end of the month... there's optimism...

I assume I can plant them in clumps, I don't fancy pricking them out much, I get really bored pricking things out...

[Two_Sheds]

I assume I can plant them in clumps, I don't fancy pricking them out much, I get really bored pricking things out...

yes, I do. The self-sown ones are really thick ... dozens of plants squashed together. I just dig up, pull apart into about 3 or 4 little plants, and transplant that clump about 6 inches from the next.
You can always thin out further once they've grown a bit more and are easier to get a hold of.
If you're growing for ground cover instead of decoration, don't bother thinning out too much.

[Hank_Hill]

There are lots of farmers who might be trying to get rid of old silage cover. I got some old silage cover off a neigbour, he was going to throw it out so i guess it's one way of recycling...and less work

[Demeter]

Thanks TS, will do that when I go and plant out.

Dunno when though - We had more torrential rain today and the allotment site is very wet - deep puddles on the access track which is now very soft indeed, don't think I want to go back there until we've had a few drying days

[MaureenHall]

Thanks TS, will do that when I go and plant out.

Dunno when though - We had more torrential rain today and the allotment site is very wet - deep puddles on the access track which is now very soft indeed, don't think I want to go back there until we've had a few drying days

That'll be sometime in the winter then? Or maybe even next spring!! I HATE ALL THIS RAIN

[Demeter]

i hate all this rain

me too!!!!