Black polythene spuds

[Piggle]

Hi All

I'm thinking of doing my spuds under black polythene this year ( to save on the dreaded weeding and the earthing up).

Where do you source your polythene from - I can only find clear stuff. Woudl good old trusty black binbags do the trick?

Ta - Piggle

[Bigmallly]

You could try the extra strong garden bags or give fleebay a go.

[rustylady]

Binbags would be ok, but you need heavy duty ones not the flimsy sort. They will also need anchoring.

[Piggle]

that was my plan - those wheelie bin jobbies.

[The Large One]

if you have a farm local to you you may want to try asking if they have any silage plastic or the plastic from the large round hay bails kicking about
apparently it's a nightmare to get rid of and they normally are glad to see the back of it

[Potstubsdustbins]

Old compost bags or 1000 gauge damp proof membrane 3 x 4 metres for £5-91 + vat.

Colin

[Piggle]

good idea - I'll go and see what I can scounge.

[scarletrunner]

Old compost bags turned inside out work fine,i use cardboard now,as rain soaks through,when finished harvesting,cardboard is put on compost heap.Plastic pegs are used to anchor it down.

[realfood]

I use weed control fabric as the rain can percolate through the membrane.

[mothhawk]

Weeds? What are weeds?

I plant my spuds so deep I'm surprised Redthorn isn't digging them up, that way I don't bother earthing them up. (I only have room to grow earlies though, so I dig 'em up fairly quickly).

[veggiechicken]

I've used straw mulch over potatoes. You can fossick around in the straw for the spuds and leave it to rot down after the crop.

[Aberdeenplotter]

Try B&Q or any builders merchant.

[oldie]

A certain other magazine reported on a trial last year using three methods. 1-black plastic, 2-permeable membrane and 3-straw. Best result was using straw.

[veggiechicken]

I didn't know that Oldie. If its so good, I'll do it again!

[salome2001]

allotment trading shop? £1.30 a metre for 4m wide black plastic at ours.

How are you going to water through black plastic?